---
title: "Gemini 3.8 Flash vs Claude Sonnet 5 | OpenRA arena run | Evals by Jetty"
url: https://evaljetty.com/openra/runs/cup1-sf2-g2.html
description: "Claude Sonnet 5 destroyed the enemy base. Watch the full game with both models' reasoning and the run's evaluation."
updated: 2026-09-28
publisher: Jetty (https://jetty.io)
---

02 — Run · Pilot cup · Pilot cup · cup1-sf2-g2

# Gemini 3.8 Flash vs Claude Sonnet 5

Claude Sonnet 5 destroyed the enemy base after 7.7 game-minutes · 9.3 min wall clock

The recording stops at 7.3 of 7.7 game-minutes: this pilot game hit a since-fixed bridge bug (building sales were sent outside the lockstep order queue), so its replay drifts out of sync at the first sale. Results and stats come from the live game.

Pilot game (run locally, before the Jetty runs)
[Replay (.orarep)](https://evaljetty.com/openra/media/cup1-sf2-g2.orarep)
[Decision log](https://evaljetty.com/openra/runs/cup1-sf2-g2/decisions.jsonl)
[Runtime config](https://evaljetty.com/openra/runs/cup1-sf2-g2/runtime_config.json)
[Validation report](https://evaljetty.com/openra/runs/cup1-sf2-g2/validation_report.json)

LOSS ukraine · west

Gemini 3.8 Flash

google/gemini-3.8-flash

Value destroyed$1,300Value lost$15,600
Units killed / lost13 / 24Buildings killed / lost0 / 6
Peak army$2,900Orders issued37
Decision turns (failed)58 (0)Mean latency2.6sModel cost$0.194

WIN ukraine · east

Claude Sonnet 5

anthropic/claude-sonnet-5

Value destroyed$15,700Value lost$1,400
Units killed / lost25 / 14Buildings killed / lost6 / 0
Peak army$12,000Orders issued174
Decision turns (failed)58 (0)Mean latency4.6sModel cost$0.409

## Evaluation

No validation report stored for this run.

## Decision timeline

What each model saw as its situation and what it ordered, every 8 game-seconds. Click a turn to jump the video there.

## Decision timeline

Every 8 game-seconds each model received a text briefing and replied with its reasoning and commands. Time is game time.

- **0:00 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Starting the match. Deploying MCV at start location and beginning Power Plant construction.
- **0:00 Claude Sonnet 5**: Deploy MCV to start base, then queue power plant.
- **0:08 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: MCV successfully deployed into Construction Yard and power plant started last turn. Need to verify power plant is building or start it if idle, aiming for rapid ore refinery.
- **0:08 Claude Sonnet 5**: Continue building economy; fact deployed, powr queued. Next add proc and barracks once powr placed.
- **0:16 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Power plant is ready to place. Next step in standard Soviet opening is placing power and queuing Ore Refinery (proc) to jumpstart income.
- **0:16 Claude Sonnet 5**: Construction yard already placed. Start economy with power plant then refinery.
- **0:24 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Power plant is placed and proc is now available. Starting Ore Refinery immediately to secure our economy and first harvester.
- **0:24 Claude Sonnet 5**: Place power plant, queue refinery next, start economy buildup.
- **0:32 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Refinery is currently at 23% in the queue. Waiting for it to finish so we can place it and unlock barracks and war factory.
- **0:32 Claude Sonnet 5**: Continue economy buildup: build ore refinery next, then barracks.
- **0:40 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Refinery is halfway done and will finish soon. Standing by to let it finish without interruption so we can place it and build barracks next.
- **0:40 Claude Sonnet 5**: Proc is building. Queue barracks next while proc finishes, keep economy growing.
- **0:48 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Refinery is at 70% and will finish in a few seconds. I will prepare to place it as soon as ready, but since it's not ready this exact tick, I'll queue barracks once ready next turn or let proc finish.
- **0:48 Claude Sonnet 5**: Continue economy buildup: proc and barr already in progress. Once ready, place them and expand into war factory and tanks.
- **0:56 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Refinery is nearly finished; place it as soon as ready and queue barracks immediately followed by war factory. Start scouting and establishing defenses once infantry queue opens.
- **0:56 Claude Sonnet 5**: Proc and barr are building. Wait for them to complete, then place and continue economy/army buildup.
- **1:04 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Place the ready Ore Refinery to start our economy and gain a harvester. Barracks is currently building.
- **1:04 Claude Sonnet 5**: Continue economy buildup; wait for proc and barr to finish, queue additional power.
- **1:12 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Barracks is finishing up. We will wait for it to finish and place it next turn, while preparing our economy with a War Factory as soon as cash/queue permits.
- **1:12 Claude Sonnet 5**: Place the ready proc near base, keep building power and barracks. Enemy far east, need economy first.
- **1:20 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Place the barracks and immediately start building the War Factory to tech up. Train a couple riflemen and rocket infantry to scout and protect our base.
- **1:20 Claude Sonnet 5**: Place ready power plant, continue building barracks, queue war factory next for tank production, and keep economy growing.
- **1:28 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Barracks is operational and War Factory is progressing well. Training a mix of rifle infantry and rocket soldiers for scouting and base defense while waiting for armor production.
- **1:28 Claude Sonnet 5**: Continue building infrastructure. Keep barracks and war factory queued, add power as needed. Once barracks done, train infantry to scout/defend.
- **1:36 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: War Factory is in progress; queuing an Ore Refinery next for economy and extra harvester once ready. Scouting enemy direction with available rifle infantry.
- **1:36 Claude Sonnet 5**: Weap, powr, barr still building. Wait for completion, then place and start unit production.
- **1:44 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: War Factory is nearly complete. Sending infantry scout #135 further west towards enemy base (12, 16) and staging rocket infantry #136 at the base perimeter.
- **1:44 Claude Sonnet 5**: Buildings are in progress. Let production continue; nothing to place yet. Will check next turn for placement and start training once barracks ready.
- **1:52 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: War Factory is finishing soon. Scout with e1 towards enemy start at (12, 16) and prepare to build Heavy Tanks once War Factory and Service Depot are up, or start with Light Tanks/Harvester.
- **1:52 Claude Sonnet 5**: Production ongoing; let it continue. Nothing to place yet. Keep economy going.
- **2:00 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: War Factory is nearly complete. I will queue infantry while saving slightly, prepare to place the War Factory, and start building another Power Plant/Refinery. Also scouting towards enemy start with e1 #135.
- **2:00 Claude Sonnet 5**: Building queue underway. Once weap/powr/barr finish, place them and start training. Keep expanding economy with second proc and harvesters.
- **2:08 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: War factory is finishing up; place it immediately and queue an extra power plant or second refinery as economy allows. Scout west towards the enemy base with infantry.
- **2:08 Claude Sonnet 5**: Continue base setup: place weap/powr/barr when ready, queue more production and start training infantry.
- **2:16 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: War factory is ready to place now. I will place weap near base, keep the scout infantry moving toward (12, 16), and prepare vehicle production once placed.
- **2:16 Claude Sonnet 5**: War factory ready to place. Keep building economy and start training once barracks done.
- **2:24 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Place the ready power plant to keep up with future tech power demands. Start training another harvester to boost income, and push scouting infantry toward the enemy base at (12, 16).
- **2:24 Claude Sonnet 5**: Barracks and second proc/powr still building. War factory is ready, so start producing tanks. Keep economy growing with a second harvester too.
- **2:32 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Currently out of cash while harvester finishes unloading soon and finishes vehicle production. Scouting infantry continues advancing toward enemy base at (12, 16) to find the enemy.
- **2:32 Claude Sonnet 5**: Place barracks, keep building economy and start producing tanks from war factory now that it's ready.
- **2:40 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Harvester #130 is close to delivering ore to the refinery, which will inject funds to speed up the queued harvester. Scout #135 is approaching the enemy base at (12,16) while reinforcements move up.
- **2:40 Claude Sonnet 5**: Base is well developed already. Need Service Depot to unlock heavy tanks, keep training infantry, and queue more harvesters for economy.
- **2:48 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Harvester #2 is at 31% and scout #135 is right outside the enemy base area at (19,16). We'll push #135 straight to (12,16) to uncover the enemy layout, rally the following infantry towards mid-map, and queue Service Depot (fix) as soon as harvester finishes.
- **2:48 Claude Sonnet 5**: Base is developing well. Keep building fix depot, queue more infantry and power. Enemy scout nearby, ignore for now and focus economy.
- **2:56 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Harvester is over halfway done and our lead scout is almost at the enemy base (12,16). We have $0 cash, so we wait for ore unload before starting Service Depot (fix). Moving our infantry line steadily into enemy territory.
- **2:56 Claude Sonnet 5**: Base is building up nicely with power, refinery, barracks, and factory already set. Keep queuing infantry and harvesters, and once fix depot done start tank production. Enemy scout spotted nearby - keep infantry defending home for now.
- **3:04 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Our vanguard infantry group is nearing enemy base at (12, 16). Harvester is mining, 2nd harvester in production at 54%; once funds arrive we need Service Depot (fix) to unlock Heavy Tanks.
- **3:04 Claude Sonnet 5**: Enemy infantry cluster right near my base at (19-21,16). My 4 idle e1 should defend. Keep production going for economy and army buildup.
- **3:12 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Our scouting force has reached near the enemy base at (16,18) and encountered infantry. Harvester 2 is almost ready; once done, we need a Service Depot (fix) to unlock Heavy Tanks.
- **3:12 Claude Sonnet 5**: Enemy infantry squad near base at (19-21,16-17). Defend with my e1 group, keep production rolling. Queue more infantry and continue building econ.
- **3:20 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: We are currently out of cash while the second harvester begins operations. As soon as ore is delivered, we need a Service Depot to unlock Heavy Tanks and start training defensive forces.
- **3:20 Claude Sonnet 5**: Economy still ramping up. Keep production going, defend base with current infantry, continue building queues.
- **3:28 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Currently flat broke with $0 cash while harvesters work. Waiting on incoming ore deliveries before queuing up the Service Depot for Heavy Tanks.
- **3:28 Claude Sonnet 5**: Base building continues; keep training infantry and preparing for tank production once fix and proc finish. Group idle infantry defensively near base.
- **3:36 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: We have $500 ore stored, sufficient to begin queueing infantry defense while harvesting continues. Start a Service Depot (fix) to unlock Heavy Tanks, and queue some rocket soldiers.
- **3:36 Claude Sonnet 5**: Continue economy buildup, keep training infantry, group idle army defensively near base until war factory ready for tanks.
- **3:44 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Service Depot is currently building and cash is zero while harvesters gather ore. Once the depot completes, Heavy Tanks will be unlocked.
- **3:44 Claude Sonnet 5**: Economy is coming online with proc, fix, barr in progress. Keep training infantry and start tank production once fix is ready. Group idle riflemen defensively near base.
- **3:52 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Service Depot (fix) is finishing up. Once done, we will unlock Heavy Tanks (3tnk) and immediately start spamming them to assemble our strike force.
- **3:52 Claude Sonnet 5**: Economy building continues; keep training infantry and queue tank production once fix is done. Group idle e1 for defense.
- **4:00 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Service depot (fix) is finishing at 58% but cash is at $0 right now. Once harvesters deposit ore, fix will complete and unlock Heavy Tanks (3tnk).
- **4:00 Claude Sonnet 5**: Place the ready proc refinery, continue economy buildup, group idle infantry for defense while production continues.
- **4:08 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Service Depot (fix) is finishing up; place it immediately once ready so we can unlock Heavy Tanks (3tnk). Harvesters are currently unloading/gathering, so queue 3tnk as soon as cash comes in.
- **4:08 Claude Sonnet 5**: Economy building up, multiple queues running. Group idle infantry to defend base and scout lightly toward enemy. Keep training e1 and harv.
- **4:16 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Service depot is ready to place. Cash is tight at $0 so we need incoming harvester drops before queuing heavy tanks.
- **4:16 Claude Sonnet 5**: Economy building up, many idle infantry. Group them defensively near base and continue production. Send one to scout toward enemy.
- **4:24 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Service depot is placed, unlocking 3tnk. Harvesters are gathering ore, so queue a Heavy Tank and some Rocket Soldiers as funds trickle in.
- **4:24 Claude Sonnet 5**: Place ready powr, keep building economy and army. Group idle e1 infantry to defend/scout while production continues.
- **4:32 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Current funds are low ($358 ore) while 3tnk and e3 are in progress. Two harvesters are gathering resources steadily, so I will queue an extra Ore Refinery once funds allow or just focus production on 3tnk and e3 to build an attack force.
- **4:32 Claude Sonnet 5**: Economy still building up; lots of idle infantry sitting around base doing nothing. Group them and prep for eventual push once tanks come online. Keep training and building power/proc.
- **4:40 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Harvesters are gathering and unloading ore, financing our current 3tnk and e3 production. We will hold our ground near base until we assemble a solid strike force of heavy tanks and rocket infantry.
- **4:40 Claude Sonnet 5**: Economy still building up (proc, fix in progress). Keep training infantry and let production continue. Group idle infantry as defense near base.
- **4:48 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Harvesters are actively gathering and unloading ore; the first Heavy Tank is at 53% completion. I will queue another Heavy Tank once income arrives and train rocket soldiers to support the ground force.
- **4:48 Claude Sonnet 5**: Good economy building up, many idle infantry. Let's group them into an attack force and send toward enemy base while continuing production of tanks and infantry.
- **4:56 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Our first Heavy Tank and next Rocket Soldier will finish very shortly. We need to keep queueing 3tnk and e3 while gathering an attack force to push enemy base at (12, 16).
- **4:56 Claude Sonnet 5**: Economy building up; keep training rocket soldiers and infantry, continue building fix/powr/barr. Push large idle infantry group toward enemy base to scout and harass.
- **5:04 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Our first Heavy Tank is finishing in a moment. Our economy is tight at $0 so we rely on harvesters returning ore to sustain 3tnk production. Keep army guarding the base entrance while massing 3tnk and e3.
- **5:04 Claude Sonnet 5**: Big infantry group massed around (27,27). Push them toward enemy base at (95,11) via attack_move. Keep training more units and building economy.
- **5:12 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: First Heavy Tank is finishing up. Cash is at $0, waiting for harvesters to dump before training more units. Keeping rocket soldiers guarding base approach.
- **5:12 Claude Sonnet 5**: Army is gathering mid-map; push toward enemy base at (95,11) while continuing infantry production. Keep economy running with harvesters and add more production buildings.
- **5:20 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Harvesters are returning to drop off ore, which will fund the current Heavy Tank and next units. Gathering our first Heavy Tank with the rocket soldiers at our forward defense point.
- **5:20 Claude Sonnet 5**: Place service depot, keep building power/barracks, and push main infantry group east toward enemy base at (95,11). Start training more e3 for anti-tank support.
- **5:28 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Currently accumulating funds while 3tnk finishes production. We'll start queuing rocket infantry once cash trickles in and prepare our strike force to move out toward (12, 16) once the next heavy tank rolls out.
- **5:28 Claude Sonnet 5**: Army is scattered around (53-58,28), keep pushing toward enemy base at (95,11). Place the ready power plant, keep training infantry, and start building tanks from war factory.
- **5:36 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Current funds are low but production of our second 3tnk and additional rocket soldier is underway. Harvesters are actively mining, so we will consolidate our defense posture and prepare to stage an advance across the map toward (12, 16) once the tank rolls out.
- **5:36 Claude Sonnet 5**: Army is scattered en route east; consolidate and continue attack move toward enemy base. Keep production running, place power plant.
- **5:44 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: We have two damaged enemy riflemen harassing nearby. I will eliminate them with our gathered forces while awaiting 3tnk completion, keeping units grouped.
- **5:44 Claude Sonnet 5**: Army is stretched along path to enemy at (95,11). Push forward group near (72-74) toward enemy base, keep rear troops moving to join. Continue production.
- **5:52 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Eliminating encroaching enemy riflemen near our base perimeter with our heavy tank and rocket soldiers. Vehicle production of 3tnk is underway; once ready we will start assembling an assault column to advance towards (12, 16).
- **5:52 Claude Sonnet 5**: Push large infantry group toward enemy base near (88-95,11), place barracks, keep producing tanks/infantry.
- **6:00 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: An enemy infantry swarm is massed near (84, 13). With a Heavy Tank and Rocket Soldier nearby plus new units completing imminently, crush the infantry clump with the tank and support from the rocket soldier.
- **6:00 Claude Sonnet 5**: Large infantry group near enemy territory, push toward likely base at (95,11). Keep production going, gather idle units.
- **6:08 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: An enemy rifle infantry swarm is at (84, 13). Use both heavy tanks to crush and fire on them while rocket soldiers support from behind. Harvesters are bringing in income so keep vehicle/infantry queues rolling.
- **6:08 Claude Sonnet 5**: Main infantry group near (84-85,14) close to enemy start. Push them east to find and destroy enemy base. Keep producing tanks and infantry.
- **6:16 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Enemy rifle infantry swarm is overwhelming our front units. Tank #187 is critically damaged at 10% and must retreat to the service depot #168 immediately, while #204 and infantry hold and crush the rifles.
- **6:16 Claude Sonnet 5**: Front group near enemy territory is stalled at (84-85,14); push toward enemy base at (95,11) to find and destroy buildings. Keep production rolling.
- **6:24 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Heavy tank #204 is heavily damaged (24% HP) and needs to pull back to the Service Depot for repairs immediately. Our rocket infantry will help screen against the enemy infantry mass while we keep building tanks.
- **6:24 Claude Sonnet 5**: Push forward toward enemy base, finish off the wounded 3tnk, keep training tanks/infantry. My forces are near enemy territory now, should press attack.
- **6:32 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: An enemy infantry swarm is advancing near (89, 11). Our heavy tanks died leaving husks, but a new 3tnk is underway; train cheap riflemen and grenadiers to counter the infantry ball while holding near base.
- **6:32 Claude Sonnet 5**: My infantry pushed close to enemy power plant at (93,11); some are badly damaged. Push forward with attack_move to finish off the enemy power plant and find more buildings. Keep tanks and reinforcements coming from home base.
- **6:40 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Enemy infantry ball is right at our doorstep ((91,10) to (94,9)) attacking our buildings/units. A 3tnk and e1 are in production, but cash is zero so production is paused/slow. Harvester 155 is at 49% hp near (86,5), need to keep it alive while defending base.
- **6:40 Claude Sonnet 5**: My infantry/rocket group is near enemy base (91-94,9-10). Enemy has weak defenses visible. Push all forces to attack enemy buildings directly, focus on fact/weap/barr. Keep tank/e3 production going and reinforce.
- **6:48 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Enemy infantry are right on top of our barracks at (95,8) and (94,9). Our lone harvester is unloading/harvesting. Low power and tight funds, but when 3tnk finishes it can squash infantry.
- **6:48 Claude Sonnet 5**: Big army near enemy base already engaging. Push final assault on remaining buildings while keeping production queued and reinforcements en route.
- **6:56 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Base is heavily swarmed by enemy infantry right on top of our production buildings. We are on low power with very low cash; our harvester #130 is still operating, but we desperately need units to clear this swarm.
- **6:56 Claude Sonnet 5**: Large army already near enemy base at (93-95,11). Push attack on remaining buildings, keep production rolling.
- **7:04 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Base is under heavy attack by a mass of enemy infantry around (92,10). Power plant is at 63% and Heavy Tank at 70%, but low power and $0 cash are stalling us. Need power up and 3tnk out immediately to crush infantry.
- **7:04 Claude Sonnet 5**: Big group already near enemy base at (91-93,10-12). Push attack on remaining fact/barr to finish them off. Keep production queues going and send reinforcements east.
- **7:12 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Fact is at 35% hp and under attack by a large enemy infantry force at our doorstep. Power plant and 3tnk are still building slowly due to zero power; harvester #130 is about to unload cash to help finish them. We must keep fact repaired and use harvester to crush enemy infantry if possible.
- **7:12 Claude Sonnet 5**: Enemy factory at 35% HP near destruction. Push all infantry near enemy base to finish it off, continue reinforcing with tanks and rockets.
- **7:20 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Our Construction Yard has been destroyed and we have no harvesters left, leaving us with zero cash and low power. The Heavy Tank is 75% complete, but with no income to finish it, our remaining production is stalled unless we sell a building like the Service Depot to gain cash.
- **7:20 Claude Sonnet 5**: Big force near enemy base at (91-95,11-15). Push all combat units there to finish off remaining fix building and any other structures. Keep training tanks and rockets, reinforce home defense minimally.
- **7:28 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Our base is swarmed by enemy infantry and a heavy tank right at our doorstep, with both harvesters wrecked into husks and no ConYard. We have enough cash/ore ($1577 total) to build a vehicle; let's produce an APC or Flak Truck to crush infantry and attempt defense.
- **7:28 Claude Sonnet 5**: Army is already near enemy base at (93-95,9-14). Push attack on remaining enemy proc and any hidden buildings. Keep tank/rocket production rolling.
- **7:36 Gemini 3.8 Flash**: Only the War Factory remains and low power is stalling production, while enemy infantry surrounds us. Repair the War Factory to keep it alive as long as possible while waiting for the flak truck.
- **7:36 Claude Sonnet 5**: Army is near enemy base at (95,11)-(97,8). Continue attack to destroy remaining weap#143 and mop up. Keep production running.

---
Source: https://evaljetty.com/openra/runs/cup1-sf2-g2.html · Evals by Jetty · Run your own evals: https://jetty.io/?utm_source=evaljetty&utm_medium=llms