I'm probably somewhat of the opposite view. I think the finality of having 1 life per round means that you have to think about the decisions you make because you don't get to spawn again in that round to help your team mates out.
It's interesting also because I think it's both team and individual orientated. You have to work as a team to win - make sure you revive each other, plant defensive bombs behind you etc. Sometimes you may even have to sacrifice yourself by drawing enemy fire or flanking. But when your team fails and you're the only one left you have to deploy individual based strategies. So the duality of the mode is really quite interesting.
Of the two modes I've seen a lot better team game-play and strategy deployed in survivors than in the 20:20 TDM. In the 20:20 people think that because there are so many lives to be used up its ok to run around solo etc. In survivors you quickly come to the realisation that you'll win more games and be more successful if you stick together as a team.
It does sound bad to some only having one life but remember the supply boxes are in different places making game-play perfect IMO.
I totally get what you're getting at. But at the same time, it's just something I am not fond of the idea because it turns those elements of risk into situations of stupidity.
Basically, if I know I have a life to spare and can come back, I can take the calculated risk to run in and try and take out 3 or 4 enemies and/or help distract them for my teammates to take them out. If I die, all that's lost is one life, conversely I could've knocked a considerable amount off of their teams tickets by doing what I did. So it's one of those low risk, high reward type moments.
In survivor, I go in and do that and fail and I have to sit and watch for however long is left. Not only that, but I probably look and feel like an idiot because I so carelessly wasted my one and only life and feel like I've let the team down in doing so.
I love the calculated risk factor in a game like this. Knowing that if I choose to go out on a run and attempt a flank, I could die, but I could take out 2-4 of them as well. But if I do die, I haven't really punished the team a whole lot in doing that.
If I look at that situation when playing Survivor, knowing I only have one life, I'm probably not going to run in and take that risk.