The "new player" argument does not cut it for me

Read my post first, there is no reason for SOE to implement a half-finished feature into the game, it should've been kept on PTS until it was ready to use as intended.

Again, the "new player" argument, tell me why there can't be a button to turn the suggestions and punishments off?

This.
Sometimes I wonder if the devs even play their game.
This would be such an OBVIOUS thing to think BEFORE implementing a dumb system. Who on earth thought that hiding base capturing information would be of ANY use to anybody?

Maybe the following quote answers whether, and how, devs play their game:

Honestly, it's that kind of bad and lazy squad leading that gets people demoted in outfits, and which makes for a bad gameplay experience for inexperienced players. If that was one of our officers saying something like that (which they wouldn't), there would be some severe concerns about whether or not they should be allowed to continue to lead.

Well the game itself isn't a finished product either. SOE has a habit of doing this.

Like most things they try to implement, they failed miserably.

All of this could have been avoided if they had just added the ability to turn it off.

I never once felt punished by the mission system. Right now the missions choose the closest base to you, and will change if you go to another base. I've completely ignored the system so far, and nothings changed.

Dont care about the situation just wanted to add that the F2P model also works IF the players are having an experience that compels them to pay.
So far its seems like companies replacing a sub with f2p also use it as an excuse to give poor customer service and a lower quality gaming experience. This isnt all their fault it also came from jumping on a bandwagon because some asian games (who actually gave a quality game AND f2p) were making bank on f2p alone. They werent making money just because it was f2p but because they were meeting their customers expectations.

its a double edged sword and a gamble on the dev side. I paid SoE about $15 a month for 6yrs of Planetside 1. If the numbers were exact that would $1080 from me (1 player) not counting what i paid for the box and core combat ( XD )

Anyway its too bad if they arent making the money they need or expected to make or whatever. If gamers that played the Battlefield series got a sequel that was not Battlefield, yeah there would be a problem.
SoE is doing another Everquest. It can have new features, new look, new this or that but it has to still be Everquest. Forumside is only planetside in name and faction colors.

The mission system removes the control points and cap timer if you're not at the base it tells you to fight at, that's a major punnishment

Until it reassigns your mission to that base. If you're not close enough for it to reassign then you aren't close enough for it to matter at that moment.

Free XP if I happen to be in the correct fight? Yes please......

Wouldn't effect WHERE I'm going to fight though.

It didn't for me, it insisted that I had to defend the Crown for almost an entire playtime

The main issue is that all to often the fight for a base is not over even if the timer has finished and we have regained control of it. There can still be three enemy sunderer's and 48+ enemies in the area but the mission insists I move along and attack the next thing in the lattice.

This system is horrible.

Then ignore it.

That sentiment gets voiced frequently and really is not fair to say. Any company wants to generate revenue, but it does not happen in a vacuum. They must offer a product that consumers want. SOE will never please everyone, but they have allowed the player base to have some influence in changes and additions to the game. (Ex: Vulcan Harasser; Z.O.E.; Vanguard; Implants)

They should make it a request for reinforcement rather than a must do thing, a player will get bonus 20% exp if they accept it and doing it...

If SOE needs to let the player base have an input to make money, then that is what they will do. If listening to the player base costs them money, then they will not listen. I suppose there could be a situation where SOE would do the opposite of what they need to do to make money, but it seems unlikely(although I guess you could look at Capcom for an example of that).