(Note: I'm assuming from the reference to "map layout" that this comment is directed at the original article, and not the video mentioned in the parent comment.)

Reading the assembly language is what many (perhaps most?) people would do at that point. But not everyone is as comfortable with reading assembly, and I wanted to show that a lot can be done without taking that step.

Also, "easier" is a relative term. It was far, far easier for me to examine the data files sitting comfortably in front of my Linux box, than to try to pull together a decent debugging setup inside of a dosbox before making any headway. There's always more than one way to do it.