head to head
vs
Medieval: Total WarvsSudden Strike
Medieval: Total War leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Sudden Strike leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Medieval: Total WarSudden Strike
Axis by axis
Execution3 vs 3
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads2 vs 3
Sudden Strike leans harder on reads: Multiplayer rewards prediction; campaign AI is scripted
Variance3 vs 3
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization8 vs 7
Medieval: Total War leans harder on optimization: Campaign economy and battlefield doctrine are deeply learnable
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.