trust me, it does.......... Ever played Hungry hills? or Forsaken accession? Many players die not because of other players but because of the size of the map, starving to death etc, or even missing reset. (Im high on the solo boards, Im not making up excuses only facts ;p) On forsaken approx. 20% of players would die to the map.
However, if you claim this to be true, map size having no effect on wins or not, then you can't use the "can't find people" excuse either ;p. People leave if they can't find people, correct? So it influences the game play. A good player knows to never give up, and knows where other people are
LIKELY to go, even on a map they've never seen before. For example: Most players go to open land rather than forest land, (seen on SG highway (more people go along the highway and then turn in)), furthermore, players who are understacked tend to go towards the edge of the map, in hope of finding tier 2s and avoiding the wrath of the more stacked players in the center of the game.
These are mere observations I have made while playing. As a final point, sound is key.