These items share the same function. More or less. The ability to spawn into a sunderer or galaxy someone from your squad occupied was implemented simply to keep the squad together, a sort of squad cohesion assist. The same can be said of the actual green "Squad Spawn" button at the bottom left of your map. This function spawning you at the closest hard-spawn to your squad leader. It was designed to help keep you close to your squad leader. Currently the green Squad Spawn button (SLS from now on, Squad Leader Spawn) is wholly "underpowered" compared to the actual Squad Spawn function (SS). Not only is SLS limited to your squad leader with a bit of lottery in the mix on where exactly you will spawn. but there is a rather long timer to when you can actually use it. The SS however has no such timer. it has the standard few seconds between spawns as if spawning on any spawn point. With the added safety of spawning in the vehicle rather the exposed. The SS is currently being very much abused as a free squad AMS. With galaxies hovering at max altitude where they are not only difficult to get to but bullet spongy enough to be, in my opinion, too survivable compared to their availability. From every single tower, facility and some larger bases. I believe the SS function should be tied to the SLS timer. With the SLS again being a drop pod that brings you right to the squad leader, and the SS being a cohesion assist tool rather then a "use anywhere" AMS. This of course raises the question about the Valkyrie logistic unlock to what I will say that the fix is simple: map SS passive like in sunderer and galaxy (but tied to the SLS timer), and the drop function becomes the only function. I would, however also like to point out that the "drop immunity" of both galaxy and valkyrie should be nerfed so you actually have to fly relatively close to the drop site (say 60-100m above) rather being at max altitude, pooping out people.
I have mixed feelings about this. Personally I love squad spawns in my Battlebus and Valkyrie. I normally run a small squad of 3-5 people and the mobile spawn option allows us to stick together and work as a team much easier. Though I do dislike being unable to counter a ceiling whale as ground infantry or vehicles. Lock-ons won't lock at that range and Bursters might hit in a blue moon, and that's assuming you can even aim high enough to hit it. One time it got annoying enough where I told my squad to all spawn ESFs (almost all were stock Scythes) just to fly up and at least make it run away. We managed to destroy it (no thanks to the ceiling bug that allowed the Galaxy to be much higher than us) but it costed quite a lot of resources amongst us. 5 Scythes vs 1 Galaxy isn't very resource efficient.
I also find the current system very convenient. But I have come to a point where I see that when things get too convenient. I can understand the purpose of this feature, and I like it. But the implementation is off. It is designed to keep the squad together, but currently the SS spawn is just too good. I mean if anyone considers the unit they fight in as organized, setting up an LZ for pickup is not that big of a deal. And in situations where seconds count is where this spawn is supposed to be used. When all other options take too long. the SLS spawn should, besides being a tool to keep your squad together, your trump card in getting people organized and loaded fast for a drop/breach. But it should be a "one-off". Something you use when you NEED to. Not WANT to. Also I am a sucker for "romantic" things like actually calling for pickup, looking for an LZ and all that jazz. It just feels wrong to redeploy every few minutes to spawn in on an another galaxy that was just now pulled in the base I was in. I'll do it, since my squad leader demands it. But it feels, heartless. Boring.
From my understanding SLS is for when a new player enters the squad from far away (Warpgate for example) and the squad does NOT have an AMS spawn and is pinned down behind enemy lines. This allows the new squad member to drop in and not abuse the redeploy system to go across the game. I assumed that this is why it is bound to the same key as autojoin squad (Insert joins, Insert spawns) as this gives you a slightly better fighting chance than instant action. Its a fairly old feature.
