Maps like... Crimethink, it adds important elements. It could be played fine without it, but with random spawns it's not as much of a linefest. If you take the time to find everything, you can get grab/capped on. So you just grab an item here and there and hope for the best. I like starting with weapons or easy to find weapons on maps, but depending on the map, random spawns can add an important element.
Pbcup_sassault, If a team picks it you pick your colour. So their map, you choose the better guns. They can call their map restart, but so can we. It adds an element of not sitting back spraying, you find your stuff, and go from there. But thats just my opinion. I haven't seen many maps with gun spawns that ruin the map, although i'd love to try crimethink with the spawn fully loaded, and see how it plays.
I could make an ent that would let you try that if you like. I am doing so for many maps currently. Crimethink is a narrow map in some places, but it is sufficiently large that spraying isn't the biggest factor.
I guess you have to decide how much stuff to get. But to me that is just taking time out of playing instead of getting to play right away. I hate finding each little thing and usually avoid that maps that make me do so.
The only thing that it adds to me is the option to rush and pgp on maps like pbcup. But I think even that map is more fun with guns already loaded. I have that ent already done and we have played it on the server.
To me on each map the idea should be to have equal equipment so everyone has the same chance. Let them make their strategy decisions such as positioning or angles, but not let the round be decided on who was spawned closest to the tracer.
We were just on Supers pub and they were playing the beta of banleuie or however you spell that (I just put random vowels in there at the end). And Super was noting that yellow has all good guns and blue spawns fairly often with vm. That is just a poor way to make a map.
You mention the clan scene picking sides based on the guns. But why not have the game decided on who is better not who got the best gun spawn?
Isn't that why the shaz22 fix was made for instance to fix the barrel disparity?
Otherwise any team that actually likes a map can't pick it because the other team can consistently hamstring them.
On pubs the situation is even worse. Spawning without resources on a 16 slot server can often mean getting no gun.