Building comparison
head to head
SimCity 3000vsThe Incredible Machine 3
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is variance, and it is a single point.
SimCity 3000
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A city builder where mastering land value, budgets, and infrastructure math grows the metropolis.
The Incredible Machine 3
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A physics puzzle of engineering Rube Goldberg contraptions to solve fixed goals.
SimCity 3000 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); The Incredible Machine 3 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
SimCity 3000The Incredible Machine 3
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 1
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
SimCity 3000
Point-and-click planning; pause anytime.
The Incredible Machine 3
Placing parts is untimed, no dexterity needed
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
SimCity 3000
No adversary exists.
The Incredible Machine 3
Solo puzzle, nothing to predict
Variance2 vs 1
SimCity 3000 leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
SimCity 3000
Random disasters and neighbor deal timing.
The Incredible Machine 3
Physics is deterministic, no randomness
Optimization9 vs 9
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
SimCity 3000
Land value, utilities, and ordinance math reward pure system mastery.
The Incredible Machine 3
Engineering a working contraption from parts IS the game
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.