Building comparison
head to head
SimCityvsThe Settlers II: 10th Anniversary
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.
SimCity
Optimization · Pure Optimization
An economy and layout optimization puzzle about keeping a small simulated city solvent.
The Settlers II: 10th Anniversary
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Optimising road networks and production chains at a settler's pace.
SimCity leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); The Settlers II: 10th Anniversary leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
SimCityThe Settlers II: 10th Anniversary
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 2
The Settlers II: 10th Anniversary leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
SimCity
Pause-friendly building removes any physical test
The Settlers II: 10th Anniversary
Slow road-laying needs no dexterity at all
Reads1 vs 2
The Settlers II: 10th Anniversary leans a little harder on reads, though the gap is small.
SimCity
Region multiplayer is cooperative, not adversarial prediction
The Settlers II: 10th Anniversary
AI opponents expand on predictable scripts
Variance2 vs 2
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
SimCity
Disasters and agent simulation quirks add mild randomness
The Settlers II: 10th Anniversary
Map resources are scripted-but-unknown until explored
Optimization8 vs 8
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
SimCity
Zoning, traffic flow and specialisation economies are the whole game
The Settlers II: 10th Anniversary
Road networks and production chains are the entire 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.