This map does not seem balanced. I have only played it once, but my oponent started with 4 of the kings, which gave him a huge advantage. Shouldnt the kings be neutral at the start?
Nah it is fine, have never seen any such drops in my (admittedly limited) games on that map.
45 territs means 7 with 6p, 9 with 5p, 11 with 4p and 15 with 3p or 2p. Dropping the kings bonus or one of the smaller towers is possible but it's really not much different to dropping aussie or SA on the classic map (apart from the kings being harder to defend). I can't see a reason for any change.