[ano]

Actually there's no problem to create map with more or less balanced starting locations - I did it many times. Obviously it is the best option because it guarantees that players will be in equal positions at start.
If it is ok, I may do it tomorrow because I have free time. If not, I vote for option 3 (now 4 if it has any effect on starting positions) of course. Map has large wasteland and swamp regions so starting somewhere near the edge there is a big pain.