head to head
vs
SimCityvsThe Settlers: Rise of an Empire
SimCity leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); The Settlers: Rise of an Empire leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
SimCityThe Settlers: Rise of an Empire
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 1
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads1 vs 2
The Settlers: Rise of an Empire leans harder on reads: Multiplayer adds mild opponent anticipation, mostly economic
Variance2 vs 2
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization8 vs 8
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.