head to head
vs
Sid Meier's Civilization IVvsVictoria 3
Sid Meier's Civilization IV leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Victoria 3 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Sid Meier's Civilization IVVictoria 3
Axis by axis
Execution0 vs 1
Victoria 3 leans harder on execution: no reflex
Reads2 vs 2
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance4 vs 3
Sid Meier's Civilization IV leans harder on variance: Map generation and unrevealed terrain drive early decisions
Optimization9 vs 9
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.