I miss some of the old maps, but that's pretty much it. (and awlpike with shield). There's less waiting around for ranged on rooftops, HX riding around, people camping on the edge of the map, and kiting melee/ranged heroes trying to 1v1 15 people. Nowadays when I die, I think "there was nothing I could've done there" more rarely and instead think "I should have done X, Y, or Z" much more often, which is a good thing.
I also generally preferred 20-60 players on a server (nowadays more like 50-80), where you weren't just fodder and could see how your actions influenced the round as a whole. When there were too many people on, one could play 2x better or worse and nothing would really change
You can take initiative yourself with the commander poll, setting flags over your head, etc., but it sounds like you merely want to act as a cog in a greater machine. You have more tools to succeed with more tactical and organized play, but if players who value those things don't utilize these tools, people who couldn't care less sure won't. I'm surprised that no one really made a clan for the purpose of using commander chat effectively and leading the team.