LARGE CUTOFFS
One issue with Hill 400 cutoffs is how large they need to be. Since they have to stretch across the map to be cutoffs. This territory is constantly being contested and is congested with pathing blockers. So placing trucks, ambo's, and reinforcement bunkers in any of this territory is a bad idea.
The cutoff areas also favor the LEFT side of the map since both the North and South side have plenty of open clear area to place reinforcement items. The right side has a narrow road (north) and a cluttered area with tank traps (south). Placing any items from the right side = bad pathing thru that area from then on.
CUTOFF BATTLEFIELD
Add to this the fact that ALL of the fighting takes place in the cutoff/VP/fuel areas. So it is very hard to lock down an area compared to other maps. If you start to camp in these areas and they become contested you will not be able to reinforce and hold. Maybe that is a good thing, especially in a 3v3 format?
The other issue is how narrow the areas are near the cutoff areas. Since you will need to fall back thru here to heal, it is always a clusterf**k of units and poor pathing. And since there is a lot of cover items your units will clump meaning more wipes when the arty starts flying on your reinforcement point.
REALISM
The map accomplishes the feeling of being a real environment. Since it is not perfect and has environmental obstacles you need to strategize around. Sometimes this makes a map feel real. Sometimes it really annoys you to the point of a veto. Ironically since it was also talked about here, the opposite of this would be White Ball. Where it is so open that it stops feeling like a real place but makes playing on it much easier and more competitive. We need something in between that captures the best of both maps. For all of you soon to be Coh3 mappers.
Maybe this is why people tend to like playing on Red Ball and Hamburg even though they have other issues. They are open enough in the right places to set up a camp and clustered enough to also feel like real environments.