I'm glad there is a discussion on this, as the spawn system and capture radius/capture times in FH2 are the major reasons I feel the mod is hugely lacking in enjoyable gameplay, and the main thing preventing me from spending more time playing.
I wont bring up any additional talking points as I feel most have already been brought up, however I will quote some things I strongly agree with:
The "average" casual pub player's comments or criticisms about FH2 is a moot point. They don't determine the direction or goals of the mod. However, the people that should have the most influence are the loyal fan base that consists mostly of the two communities (WaW & F|H), beta testers, a half dozen clans and a few dedicated pub players. These are the people that have been playing/pubbing the mod from the beginning and whose opinions matter the most in changing the SL spawn system.
This statement couldnt be more true. Listening to player feedback is vital to creating a succesful mix of gameplay in ANY game I think, but it is important to know who to listen to. There are many players that just play casually, do not have any intention of leading or getting too involved, and just want a fun game. These players may complain about things or suggest random things, but majority just want a good time and dont have a strong opinion, as long as the game is fun/not buggy/playable. I think the majority of players fall within this category, these type of players are important but probably wont offer much useful feedback.
The most important feedback I feel will come from the players who actually BUILD a community - the Squad Leaders, Commanders, Community Organizers, Tournament Event Staff, the guys who help new players, role play the game and really make the experience feel more authentic and fun. The guys who seed the servers night after night, even when its not that fun, the guys who promote the mod on all forums over the net and gush about how great the mod is and what experiences they have had, the guys that create FH communities in their local areas, and many other examples of community building. THESE are the players you should be listening to when developing the gameplay for your mod. And I think its prety clear what they have been asking for, lets hope that a suitable answer can happen sometime in FH2's development lifespan.
Problems with SL Spawn in BF2
... you can't cut off enemy reinforcements in a realistic way. Literally, a single kubelwagon carries 24 soldiers when 4 SLs sits in it, defeating the entire purpose of having trucks/APC and creating a frontline defense.
... it effectively removes many leadership players in game because the SLs are designed to hide for maximum efficiency in order to win the game.
... players that would normally use realistic teamwork and teamplay are forced to change how they play the game in order to adapt to mad rushes where the squad leader hides in a hole and the troops rush widly out of his ass, shooting anything in sight.
... dying is not a punishment with this system, because you will spawn in directly in the action. Theres no sense of protecting your own life, find the enemy that are hiding killem/die and send other guys to get them. Repeat ad nausem until you finally find the enemy squad leader that is hiding and spawning troops out of his ass, once you did this then you will win the flag. Then the enemy come back in a jeep, spawning 5 more troops out of his ass and the cycle starts once more. Basically 5 mini rambo's on each squad with one spawn guy trying to hide as well as possible. Feels like an odd tactic in a game that tries to recreate ww2 in alot of tiny details.
No more needs to be said on it from my point of view.
I love what the FH2 team has done with this mod, so much amazing artwork in their vehicles, player models, maps, statics and effects. Its definitely the most beautiful mod in BF2 and I bet all WW2 mods. Its just a shame to me that I'm only able to play small lengths of time on public servers before leaving in disgust, due to the impact on gameplay that the above systems create. There is so many small details in this game that just make it so great, its such a shame that the huge majority of players will never get to see them because the way the gameplay unfolds
I hope this discussion continues, theres been alot of brain storming as well as community-created solutions from the various tournaments.
I'm looking forward to read some replies from the FH2 team and their gameplay coordinators and what their thoughts on the topic are.