Do we really need the compass to spin? It is very irritating when you are trying to figure out which direction is which (for communicating with team mates).
Why not make the compass fixed (like north is always pointing up?)
There is not need to have the little character icon and the compass both spin!! 
Who the hell though it that anyway?!
I can only assume that this was done so it was easy to locate people that need ammo/revive/medpacks etc., so all you have to do is position the little ammo/needle icon on the top of the compass then walk forward to find who needs your help.
It would be a pain in the ass if it always stayed stationary no matter where you are, don’t you think?
I agree that the compass is hard to navigate with. I used to be able to pinpoint people who needed ammo/medpacks in RTCW and get there without too much trouble. I find myself taking too much time to orient myself and that’s IF I see the medic/ammo icon on the somewhat cluttered compass.
Is there a way to turn off the map background or perhaps make it transparent so it’s dimmer in comparison to the icons?
The minimap and compass, though together, have nothing to do with each other.
The minimap inside the compass shows an area of the map, your location, your direction, and the location of friends.
The compass, circled around the minimap simply shows where teammates are, with different symbols if they are just there, they need ammo, need a medic, or need a revive.
The compass works exactly like it did in RTCW, where the top of the compass is where you are looking. Just spin untill the player is at the top, and go forward.
The compass is easy as it is,i find people to revive no problem as it is,this is a worthless thread IMO.
You get a feel for it with a little practice. And you can always use the expand map key to bring up the full sized map to quickly orientate yourself.
RK