Hey LilJur
Thanks for the feedback! Balancing maps, where you play vs AI is always a difficult task, as things might be easy for one player, but difficult for another player.
I have one question before I start: What did you expect from the horde maps? If you expected maps like the campaign maps from Bfme I, I can completely understand you, as the horde maps are made way more difficult. The maps are not for people who just want to sit back and chill while playing a bit. Wanting this is totally fine, but there are other maps for people who prefer this. Horde maps are meant to be challenging and force the player to focus and give their best. So if you just want to play without too much stress, I sadly have to tell you that the horde maps have a different target audience - and the maps are balanced for that audience. (for a normal mission map in a campaign, they would obviously be far too difficult... but as said: the maps are not made for a campaign)
As we have written in the article, when we first talked about the maps, those maps are not meant to be easy, but to be a challenge.
Not managing to win in the first few tries, is completely normal. That's why we added the defense points - you can always see if you were better or worse than before and try to get better and better all the time!
Also you never mentioned if you played on normal or hard difficulty. If you are not playing a lot of Edain in MP or against brutal AIs, I would always suggest playing on normal.
Also using an AI is always a disadvantage for you - it does not work and your starting ressources and starting CP get halfed. (as the AI gets the other half)
The maps are meant to be played alone or with friends, not with an AI.
Also every horde map is something different to each other.
On Minas Morgul Gondor attacks - having them attacking with some weak units wouldn't fit. Minas Morgul is meant to fight against strong armies of really strong units.
On the other hand on Minas Tirith, there are weaker units and they don't attack as full armies, but as a continous attack.
If you look at Aldburg and Edoras, the focus is a bit more on fighting outside with cavalry for an easier defense. Also Aldburg is meant to be the fortress, where you have to fight not only on one front, but on multiple fronts. That way every horde map has some different challenges and they play a bit differently to each other.
If you get 2500 on Edoras, it is really good (especially as I think that you did not try to defend your buildings outside of the castle at the beginning?)
2500 means that you are around 1/4 through the whole map, which is rather good for the first try (if you are not a good player)
Also (as mentioned):
On all maps, but Minas Morgul, there are weaker units at the beginning and stronger units at the end - the last attack on Aldburg (as an example) is purely made of Uruk Hai.
This would allow the players to actually play horde for longer than 10 minutes and maybe even stretch it to an hour of play.
People have already beaten all Horde maps (which is around 40-50 ingame minutes), mostly even on hard mode. So I wouldn't say that there already is the possibility for players to play longer than 10 minutes.
As you mentioned the Bfme I maps:
1.) In the Bfme I maps you started with nearly no money, not with the 10.000-40.000 you start on horde maps. Here you start with more money, but you also have stronger attackers.
2.) On horde maps you get attacked by random attackers. Every time you play it is different - on Minas Morgul you might be attacked by fiefdoms, normal gondor soldiers, elite soldiers... all random.^^ That makes it scriptingwise more difficult to make armies getting stronger over time. (basically there come more attackers over time on horde maps)
3.) Horde: Helm's Deep and Horde: Isengard will have attackers, which have no upgrades at the beginning, but get more and more upgades and level over time.
Finally I have to say that the hard mode will probably not be changed much (just some tweaks here and there), as the maps can be beaten, but you have to try hard for some of them. (on Minas Morgul I saw people winning with more than 22.000 points). Perhaps the normal mode will be made a little bit easier, but they will still be hard, no matter what.