This is probaly my best map yet. I found it easy to defend and attack the castle by just attacking head on but im sure it would be more intersting to try a different approach. It is possible to use certain parts of the terrain to your advantage. I recommend you play the map on either hard or very hard difficulty.
This is a great little siege map. Dark Horizon is a relatively small but very well defended castle. Playing on both attack and defence is taxing and tactics need to be employed in order to win. It's got replayability value too and I found myself running through the map over and over again. Good stuff, thoroughly enjoyable.
Balance: 4/5
ATTACKING:
On hard setting you have got your work cut out. As well as a healthy number of crossbowmen lining the walls and towers, there is a huge amount of pitch to overcome and losses were pretty high whilst I discovered where these were. Again, good stuff. I found an easy-does-it approach best, but the castle is equally well defended from either side. Would be better if there were fewer pitch ditches, as this tipped the balance in favour of the defender.
DEFENDING:
On hard or very hard you feel the full weight of the attacking forces. Most of these were wiped out with strategic lighting of the pitch ditches and as a result the attacking forces never managed to get further than the outer gatehouse.
Balance is generally good here and more fun and a better fight can be had by attacking using the fewest number of troops possible. A 4 score is a reflection of 5 for attacking but only 3 for defending. Great effort at producing a map that can be played either way though.
Creativity: 3/5
A solid, playable siege map from start to finish. Nothing stands out as dynamically different, hence the average score. What has been done by the author is of good quality. Would have been better if there was less pitch around IMO, thus giving the impression of a really tough, large scale siege.
Map Design: 4/5
The terrain looks fine as does the castle layout. It's more functional than pretty to look at, but clean lines of the castle walls and a neat double gatehouse means the castle itself takes on a classic appearance. Nice effort.
Story/Instructions: 4/5
A really good story sets the scene for the map and I found myself immersed and ready to go, even though it's not the longest story to read. Good quality again and very well written.
IN SUMMARY
A good siege map that lends itself very well to both attacking and defending. Nice work throughout!