head to head
vs
Star Wars: Empire at WarvsStronghold 2
Star Wars: Empire at War leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Stronghold 2 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Star Wars: Empire at WarStronghold 2
Axis by axis
Execution3 vs 3
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads5 vs 4
Star Wars: Empire at War leans harder on reads: Multiplayer galactic feints and fleet composition mind-games matter
Variance2 vs 2
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization8 vs 7
Star Wars: Empire at War leans harder on optimization: Economy, tech order and counter-unit composition decide campaigns
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.