this is what IGG did with the original galaxy online, making balance attached to faction, and game-play competing for advantage in that balance. each faction had a starter section of the "pie" along the outermost parts, while taking spots as factions, fighting to take over other faction areas, getting the spots with the best production rates, building the best defenses to keep them, and the best "ships" to take more.
the goal was to reach the center for a faction wide set of advantages, which would only be kept for a specified period, and making it available to other factions to take over, like a cross between king of the hill and capture the flag.
if a game goes circular, I'd advise a different format than this, because the original GO was SO bad, it was eventually killed, intentionally, by every player still involved, creating a chat glitch that rendered the rest of the game unplayable, and funders picking up their balls to find greener pastures.
its had some offspring, but for those of us who were there from day one, it is affectionately known as "Gamers' Hell"