I'm terribly biased as I moderate forums at one of the major WAR fansites, but even after playing the AoC beta and giving it the chance I think it deserves, I still have to give the edge to WAR, and waiting for it rather than jumping into AoC. There are a couple of reasons besides what will no doubt be mindless fanboyism on my part though.
Resources is one such thing. Yes, there is a negative here because it is EA standing behind Mythic with the pocketbook, but from following the game, EA has basically stood out of the way and told Mythic to make a good game. Proof is in EA's uncharacteristic tolerance for the multiple delays the game had. From what EA Mythic's CEO, Mark Jacobs is saying, they've been very supportive of the whole process because they want to hit a home run with the game.
I really have to give the edge to WAR for developer face time. While there are times when things get a bit hairy, the devs take the time to post on fansites, answer questions, and give tons of interviews. They really look like they are passionate about the game and its fans. One of the most recent examples was the developers making their own thread and answering questions on the forums for a week after the most recent delay. Given the craziness of online forums these days, that takes a lot of cajones and I have to hand it to them.
As far as mechanics go, both games are about equal because they offer different things, but I honestly have to give the edge to WAR for other factors. That being said, a lot of people are going to be trying out AoC over the summer to get in their fix, and nothing should stop you from doing so. There are some issues with AoC but on the whole it isn't enough for you not to at least give it a try and see how it goes from my experience with the open beta.
