As i played it as defender, sometime later i noticed that it was maybe really balanced fight (as lanscape dont looked good so i thought a balance will be cool) but i failed. Lord died. Not balanced(As i was writing review have noticed that its normal difficulty author gived, cant agree with him as here i need more movements and not from first time passed it. its more like hard/normal :D )
So restart.
Then I have sended troops more from side to side to kill troops (had half of troops on higher wall, will review it later.), most of them this time was on back of the castle. They have breached it but pikeman have hold out macemans on the keep and archers made their work, and only 2 swordman was walking around to the keep for a lord.
Attacker mode (advanced):
have decreased 2 swordmans and added 6 engineers to build catapults (as in defenders more they where attacking by them me, so i thought...). Fail, there were no money to build catapults... And then shields where saving situation. Killed 9 maceman. Walked around (as AI did). Spearmens and maceman where destroying nearest wall to approach keep entrance. With no big problems he died... (remember that 35% troops was lost)
Balance: 3.5
So defending it was harder than taking it. Here your balance...
Creativity: 3.5
Could be added more something in castle, like buildings or towers, more interesting design of walls like some where more thickness some where not. Just dont leave that way as it its. And high walls with hills in entrance is not looks too good, only to save your wall from catapults fire is good :D
Maybe you specially added that higher wall with hilling in side of gatehouse, back of the keep to be not attacked from that side and breached easy? Still not too bad, but for that you could add more thick wall and avoid hilling wall.
Map Design: 2
Work Work Work.! Dont forget these words. Poor no matter how sad it sounds but you cant deny it. It was maded really less than a hour. And if you get good mark for that you have to spend more time for that!
River and hills can be look through fingers but grass and scrubs, which you can see in different places with longer lines of same types of it... You less of it, use eraser with 1 on 1 thick brusher to brush them away and leave them less there. Its really have to look much better than nothing..
And returning to grass, use 2 on 2 brusher, its going to look better when you will not see same type of grass, not only black and green. But more green and less black :]
Trees was dead... Most of them.
Story/Instructions: 1
You only need to write something like that:
"Pig marches through the lands and destroying castle by castle. Hold your stand against him and give him a leason which he will never forget."
here you go and you get more than 1 mark.
Additional Comments:
Spend more time in creating landscape, grass, trees and scrubs placement.
That way you going to rule Strongholders hearts and no matter or that map is not playable or its empty of event, condition of winning/losing. Give use more EyE candys :]