head to head
vs
State of Decay 2vsStranded Deep
State of Decay 2 leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos); Stranded Deep leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos).
State of Decay 2Stranded Deep
Axis by axis
Execution3 vs 2
State of Decay 2 leans harder on execution: Combat is forgiving; stealth and swings need modest timing
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance5 vs 5
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization7 vs 6
State of Decay 2 leans harder on optimization: Base building, resource routing and survivor management drive survival
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.