head to head
vs
Stronghold: CrusadervsTotal Annihilation
Stronghold: Crusader leans Optimization (Mind & Math); Total Annihilation leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Stronghold: CrusaderTotal Annihilation
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 5
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads6 vs 6
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance4 vs 2
Stronghold: Crusader leans harder on variance: Goods market prices and siege equipment availability fluctuate
Optimization8 vs 9
Total Annihilation leans harder on optimization: Metal extractor priority and factory queuing are deeply optimizable
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.