head to head
vs
Mount & Blade: WarbandvsTotal War: Rome II
Mount & Blade: Warband leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Total War: Rome II leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Mount & Blade: WarbandTotal War: Rome II
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 5
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads2 vs 3
Total War: Rome II leans harder on reads: AI generals follow scripted behaviors without adapting to the player
Variance3 vs 4
Total War: Rome II leans harder on variance: Random political events and dynastic loyalty shifts add campaign variance
Optimization8 vs 8
Even - both lean on optimization about the same.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.