Originally Posted by OldieBones

Perhaps a few more commander perks might help bring in more willing CO's, like more diverse artillery and missile strikes, the ability to request reinforcements (i.e. spawn a couple of extra APC's, tanks, or even a jet at the main every half hour, but you have to have commanded for fifteen minutes before you can do it). Instead of having to face straight up in the air stuck in the CP, maybe have the commander drive around in a Command Bradley (or faction-appropriate vehicle) that only he can drive, with a slow respawn so they're not driving around at the front. At least that way they could drive around when they get bored, and there'd be a risk factor to keep things interesting, and if it died they would be stuck in the CP until the Bradley respawned.

Having a commander could also give a ticket every three minutes to your team, or something along those lines, so that in a long, close game having a commander would put your team ahead. One of the problems with commanding now is that it takes so long before you can actually do anything, so more support options would be great.

Make sure you post this in the suggestions forum when they allow suggestions for .8 again.

I also feel that a UAV flyover, (predator/reaper/globalhawk) or a spy satellite flyover (One frame, every however long it takes for a satellite(s) to pass over a given spot) is not unreasonable, assuming the UAV maintains altitude and course after it has been called in, the commander should be able to switch from CO screen to the UAV camera control.
I have no interest in being "in the action" when I CO but I DO need updated intel, and running a squad means you cannot be talking to the CO all the time. The CO currently provides coordinated voip intel, something that can be done without him (in the form of having a message typed), with a CO in the seat, it takes longer to get build orders, and there's one less person at the front in a squad putting rounds downrange.

I've tried to CO a few times, and the only reason I stayed was because on high traffic maps, its the the only way to guarantee a spot on the server (short of buying an SM, but I don't have the funds for that right now (as an interesting side note, I have never eaten so much ramen in my life >_>) You need a much greater attention span to play CO than the average RTS, due to the lack of incoming information to process. Even when the WHOLE team has and uses voip, its not like you can micromanage your forces or see what they see. It takes a LOT of patience, and if you end up with the team with a poor understanding of timing and coordination, it's enough to make you cry.

In closing, the CO should hang back, but they shouldn't be bored unreasonably. When the person in control starts getting bored and frustrated, stupid choices get made and games get lost. Just seeing the fruits of your orders (other than a Your Team has Won message) would be enough for me.