Effect of the butterfly

Guys, in this map, the main thing isn't the structure of the landscape, but the fact that the map isn't too empty. Personally, I don't like maps where the roads aren't narrow and there are more than two or three empty spaces between them. Take, for example, the maps: Epic, Total War, Heroes, or Beautiful World. These maps are made beautifully and compactly, which is the main thing. There are no empty spaces there, even when you clear all the locations with artifacts and other resources. So, this map is very well made, and Samatron is simply a guru of mapmaking. In my opinion, all his maps are simply amazing, because, as they say, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." And I have a question for the creator of this map: Samatron, what was your idea behind giving people a shield that provides +6 defense near their castle? I started this map with friends. Naturally, I chose humans, one of my friends chose elves, and the third chose demons. They started complaining about why they don't have something similar, but humans do. This shield can be obtained on the very first day and without any losses. An Archangel with 12 archers and 9 improved monks can't be countered.