You can make this very effective in a multiplayer game, by using large maps and many many islands to allow players to take over...
In the end, it might be extremely efficient if you can make a mod and implement it with official maps that you could come up with.
Keep to some of the original ideas, but also expand on some.
The original game was a bit messy, so try to keep it clean if your using the same idea.
Maybe orient the design of the game, to be more focused on laying out bridges?
This means, it turns from a "tower" defense kind of map to a RTS map that focuses on pathing and defense to outmaneuver your opponent's base.
Maybe if used in multiplayer, the goal is to design and protect roads/paths that reaches and cuts off your opponent's space, as you cannot build roads that isn't connected to your own HQ.
Building should cost minerals, and HQ should provide income over time. Maybe building additional structures can provide income, but there can be prerequisites to meet, like how far away it needs to be from the HQ and other supply structures.
My ideas:
A road system that allows players to plot out square paths in space, by making use of a "tool" which is a "road" ability, which can allow players to drop a road next to another road. These roads are typically blocks.
For a twist, make it like Tetris and have the pieces of blocks randomize?
When laying out turrets, for defensive or offensive purposes, you should be allowed to drop them on top and next to roads, so long as it attaches to a road.
Maybe have lots of small units being produced from your HQ platform, that roams around using an AI?
This will turn it into more of a "economic" warfare since you don't have full control of the units, only what you produce for them to walk on your roads.
Soldier units will have multiple types for different orders maybe. When units comes into contact with an enemy, they should become locked in a "gun" battle, like with marines, except the roads limit the range and limits of the ai units to attack each other. This is where making multiple paths comes in.
Turrets have ammunition, and it takes 2 shots to kill a unit. Different turret has different strength and weaknesses but just start off with a standard one.
Possible to have air units in the game, as a "special" ability to randomly attack another player's structures/roads/turrets, as they can't attack ground units.
Unit ideas:
Soldiers - Focuses on reaching the opponent's base, and destroy structures/hq/enemies.
Guards - Patrols your roads from incoming enemy Soldiers.
Workers - Gathers resources(?) and/or repairs roads and structures.
@Iggyhopper: Go
What the OP was saying is that locking the map is useless because it doesn't prevent others to open it if they take manage to get the files.
@depthsofchaos: Go
You can make this very effective in a multiplayer game, by using large maps and many many islands to allow players to take over... In the end, it might be extremely efficient if you can make a mod and implement it with official maps that you could come up with.
Ditto... But mine was about that gladiator game for the windows dos, very very old rts rpg thing.
Keep to some of the original ideas, but also expand on some.
The original game was a bit messy, so try to keep it clean if your using the same idea.
Maybe orient the design of the game, to be more focused on laying out bridges?
This means, it turns from a "tower" defense kind of map to a RTS map that focuses on pathing and defense to outmaneuver your opponent's base.
Maybe if used in multiplayer, the goal is to design and protect roads/paths that reaches and cuts off your opponent's space, as you cannot build roads that isn't connected to your own HQ.
Building should cost minerals, and HQ should provide income over time. Maybe building additional structures can provide income, but there can be prerequisites to meet, like how far away it needs to be from the HQ and other supply structures.
My ideas:
Unit ideas: