head to head
vs
Populous II: Trials of the Olympian GodsvsThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Populous II: Trials of the Olympian Gods leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
Populous II: Trials of the Olympian GodsThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Axis by axis
Execution4 vs 4
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads2 vs 1
Populous II: Trials of the Olympian Gods leans harder on reads: Rival gods are scripted AI; human matches add light prediction
Variance2 vs 2
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization7 vs 6
Populous II: Trials of the Olympian Gods leans harder on optimization: Mana economy and terraforming efficiency decide each trial
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.