head to head
vs
Sid Meier's Pirates!vsThief Gold
Sid Meier's Pirates! leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Thief Gold leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Sid Meier's Pirates!Thief Gold
Axis by axis
Execution4 vs 4
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 1
Thief Gold leans harder on reads: Guard AI reacts to noise via fixed rules, never models you
Variance4 vs 4
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization7 vs 7
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.