Play some mods like Forgotten Hope or the Battle Grounds (revolutionary war) mod for HL2.  They both create a great sense of being in the thick of a ground battle by using area SFX of stuff like tank guns firing occasionally, shouting (sometimes) and the like.

Like ANY effect, the trick is to use these things sparingly.

Agreed. And many of your maps incorporated that nicely.

I'll never forget testing Anchorhead though. To me, that was a great mix of ambience, with great map design.

Like ANY effect, the trick is to use these things sparingly.

Well, GC had correlian cruisers (and I think SDs) hovering over land maps, which I think would be pretty cool in FS, especially if in some maps they could pummel the ground, and force those battling down below to stay low and in cover, and hope a blast dosn't fry em. Something like that, or having non player or commander controled tie bombers dive down randomly and pummel teh ground with charges in the same fashion. Would be freaking awsome in a demolished city map.

This is what I had in mind.

uhh.... lag squared times a bajillion.... never gonna happen... I hope not

In GC the map anchorage or something had a flying skyhopper in the sky and there was no lag.

i forgot the name of the fighters and the map, but it was the spaceport map

I have always thought BF2 was the best example of an entire battlfield. You and the other people, represent the entire battle. Thats why most people love the Battlefield type of gameplay.

uhh.... lag squared times a bajillion.... never gonna happen... I hope not

How much lag could it be to just see a few turrets further away firing at a group of continually looping AT-ST's attacking? Obviously I have no experience in such things, but if it isn't much I'd say it would add to the battle.