Template Balance

What are your thoughts on playing on the M-format map?

I believe that playing on the M-format map has a high probability of restarting due to a quick encounter (before turn 116). And it's no secret that the smaller the map, the more influence the initial resource distribution has. Therefore, few people will want to play like that. There are two options:
1) play for a long time
2) reduce the time limit per turn.
I often visit the VT chat, and you can find opponents there who enjoy playing on small maps.
Considering the topic of the thread, I'll share my opinion about the map template. Usually, people play on maps without a Dungeon. Often, the balance is such that one player gets a path to their secondary town and a gold mine. The other player gets the same paths and also paths to the center (the entire road network). Therefore, I don't really like this template.
In my opinion, a template with the same size, PANIC, is better.