This map pits one lord in the west (Ideally not an AI as any castle larger than the Sultan's will might not fit too well there) against four in the east, who may have trouble sharing their resources. Though the player in the west can only be accessed through a small bottleneck, he is well within firing range of the most northern and most southern lords which could be a blessing or a curse to either side. The northernmost lord has the most resources of anyone and is likely to not be the first one to go down.
I spent a few hours on the coastlines and oases here, experimenting with terrains and vegetation to try to make it look mildly realistic (or at least nice) so I'd appreciate feedback on that as well.
Playability: 3.5
The playability was ok. The AIs were building their castles, but they kind didn't had enough space. Plus the narrow peninsulas were giving the opponents the opportunity to constantly bombard my lil' town with mangonel and balista fire.
Balance: 4.0
It's goodly balanced, but I felt that the grass was just not enough for a human and a CPU. I mean the Pig's farms just filled all of the grass avaiable on the right side of the map and for me left space for only one wheat farm. The other AIs were building their castles onto the grass, because of lack of space and didn't had space for farms as well. Still it was fine, I just lowered the speed to 20 and I occupied the oasis before the Pig.
Creativity: 5
Good idea, it reminds me of the maps Phoenix and Bird in Flight from the original SHCX. But this one is a way better. The strategic locations of the outposts provide constant combat, without opportunity to take a brake. Evryone is in danger.
Map Design: 5
Great! Just great! Everything I'd demand is included in this beautiful land. It really looks like ancient island, which was partially destroyed by the sea waves.
Story/Instructions: 4.5
Well, you have instructions, but not a story. Still I consider this section as not that important and i don't want to break the overall score of this fantastic map :)
Additional Comments:
Keep it up with the same spirit! Personally I appreciate your work a lot, because your maps are like "the best get rid of the rest" :D My first comment explains this quote.