head to head
vs
Sid Meier's Civilization IIIvsWasteland
Sid Meier's Civilization III leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Wasteland leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Sid Meier's Civilization IIIWasteland
Axis by axis
Execution0 vs 0
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance4 vs 5
Wasteland leans harder on variance: Skill checks and combat dice rolls swing outcomes
Optimization9 vs 8
Sid Meier's Civilization III leans harder on optimization: Corruption math, worker turns and culture borders reward deep optimization
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.