Daken Moor is a relatively straight forward siege map, as highlighted by the authors. That said, it's extremely enjoyable to play. The invading hordes are numerous at very hard difficulty, the level I chose to play at, resulting in a large scale feel about the map. Nothing problematic about the way the map plays, just a basic but well thought out scrap from start to finish. Good work.
Balance: 3/5
I didn't find this map difficult to beat at very hard setting, though it's not a walkover either. The reason I only suffered 14% losses was due to some damage my archers took on the outer walls. The key to this is the ability to repair walls, towers and gatehouses, a result of stone on the stockpile. The catapults and trebuchets therefore did little or no damage as I repaired all their targets before the invading troops came too close to do so. Tip for the authors: remove all stone from the stockpile, and balance will be better.
There was a good use of troops here, both defending the castle as well as attacking. Balance is okay, but a little bit of tweaking may be required, that's all.
Creativity: 3/5
A good effort all round. The theme of a fairly rough concentric castle works well, an attractive design and a pretty big scale battle earns a 3 score. Nothing radical about the map, but a good siege nonetheless.
Map Design: 4/5
The landscape looks pretty good, with some nice areas of terrain developed by use of boulders, rocks and shrubs. It looks pleasing to the eye, as does the castle. With the irregular design it takes on a realistic appearance that I always find adds to map design. Perfectly suitable and functional layout too, allowing smoother gameplay.
Story/Instructions: 3/5
Some evidence of a story, with instructions on how to play. Nothing wrong with what has been given here at all, but a bit more content and depth would see an increased score.
IN SUMMARY: There's nothing wrong with Daken Moor at all IMO, it's a well put together siege map that screams for maximum troops to defend against. With a really good look and feel to the design, it's endearing. Given that this is the third submission to the site, i'm impressed by the work here and look forward to other maps from the authors. Great effort, good fun and perfectly playable!