Matt, my honest opinion
about the map: I don't like it very much, sorry.
Playability:
You already wrote that it is "unforgiving" and you are right - the mix of houses and forrest terrain makes it a very difficult for the attacker,
an extremely exhausting business. The defender can easily hide nearly everywhere and delay the attack for long with only a few units.
So if the attacker should have a fair chance to reach the victory location, you will need a lot of playtime.
A long playtime always bears the risk of quitting, especially if it is on difficult terrain (but this is only my experience).
But if players are looking for a very difficult and very challenging map, this is the right one - no question.
Look:
From (
my) "esthetical" and geographical point of view the map is a "construction" and does not look natural, because the mix of fields,
forrest and human settlement is in the wrong relation. There is too much wood in and around the town (or too much houses in the woods) -
it does not fit together. It looks more like a hidden, secret military base with a secret laboratory or secret weapon factory or something like that.
I hope that you are not disappointed by my comments - they are not meant to offend you but only in a constructive, balanced, honest and fair way. OK?
