Re: minimal communication.
I'm certainly not the hardest worker on the alpha team, though I have spent a good deal of time testing and documenting the problems I've come across. However, I feel like I'm just tossing my effort into the bin and setting it out on the curb. There's no apparent need for me to keep doing that. So...
I've stopped reporting bugs, with the one I posted today being my last -- it's probably a known issue, anyway, but there's no way to know. The usual QA response (if any) is "I couldn't reproduce that." (so it's not real.), even with a dozen or so similar reports, copious examples, etc. The Known Issues list is so general it might as well have the single issue: "It's Alpha." This leads to continual reports of the same class of problems.
I no longer have any desire to contribute to that mess and I'm fast losing enthusiasm for the alpha forums, in general. Currently, the only redeeming feature for me is the abundance of user park pics being posted. The fact that some are really unique and beautiful, is a testament to the creativity and fortitude (and plenty of spare time) of those builders. The fact that many look so similar is a different issue.
Having to wait another month for fixes, updates, and new content is OK -- Frontier never promised timely updates during alpha or that they'd actually listen to what is reported or suggested. I never promised to find their problems, either, so I guess we're balancing out, there.
Maybe if I come up with another wad of cash to upgrade to Coaster Head, my voice would be louder. Probably not.
Robert