head to head
vs
Napoleon: Total WarvsThe Settlers: Heritage of Kings
Napoleon: Total War leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); The Settlers: Heritage of Kings leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Napoleon: Total WarThe Settlers: Heritage of Kings
Axis by axis
Execution3 vs 2
Napoleon: Total War leans harder on execution: Real-time battle micro under pressure
Reads3 vs 3
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance2 vs 3
The Settlers: Heritage of Kings leans harder on variance: Map knowledge is hidden until scouted
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.