Yep, an observer mode could be really cool. it might show up for release if i understood well.
Back on this "friday session" topic and to share this first impression here, a full support role seems viable as well in MP 
:
Rush the first radioactive site with an engineer, seizing time is just but it often works. then enforce your economy with a few metal and radioactive sites (let the most part for your teammates so they can build mass units). Some training will tell the quantities and sharing ratio with teammates to be really efficient... Amplify, build your orbital buildings and quantum relays, upgrade your stocks and start playing the full orbital supportive way with your teammates : Watch after their progression on the map, scout areas for them, Heal, drop local reinforcements or an engineer to build some defenses and secure their positions, or even send some plasma storms to help them in battle!
The quanta cost gets higher and higher, so it's a "full time job". try to build more and more quantum relays and launch abilities wisely. And for sure you don't have offensive units, except with the incursion ability. so take the back emplacement, turtle with static defenses, or call your buddies for protection^^.
For sure some details about the orbital abilities, how they stack or interact with each other (storm vs heal), if they hit all units, friendlies and enemies in the zone or not, have to be precised. these are just first impressions. but seeing that such strategies could be viable in MP seems very promising...the future amplifying possibilities with permanent and/or stacking bonuses will help for sure...please share your observations if you happen to try that.
GLHF as the saying goes 
