The community being the beta testers isn't good if the community ask for simple fixes to enable further testing and get ignored for months... Impulse was supposed to make quick fixes easy to release.  But a community patch, if it could create some support, might help the developers to focus on the game again after working on something else for a while.

I'm not sure what anyone means by the balance getting closer, it isn't.  Even before balance between the factions is considered we have to ensure that there are several genuine options for each faction, to create some variety in play.  The current imbalance isn't a capital rush- its specifically a carrier capital rush.  How balance can be closer when in any competitive game any skilled player with a choice will play Vasari in exactly the same style, is beyond me.

Starbases are supposed to be able to stop rushing.  The problems are that only the Vasari starbase is effective, and also even the Vasari starbases are expensive and vulnerable without a fleet to protect them... which misses the point, that starbases were supposed to protect planets when a fleet was away.  The most dangerous frigate rush, the assailant rush, has little that can stop it when accompanied by hordes of bombers.  There should not be uncounterable strategies. 

There is no reason to have a community patch for single players at all, they are free to alter their own game as they desire.  I can't agree that there is a division between two groups in multiplayer as has been suggested.  Better balance either means variation and effective counters, which would be available to anyone not just skilled players, or it means nothing.  Also, players happy with the current situation, who just want the Skirantra balanced against the Halcyon and aren't interested by tech trees and any reasearch that doesn't involve ships or phase missiles, aren't likely to mod at all.

Players who want to play slower games should use appropriate maps.  A single star 5s is a fast game with players who are likely to be very skilled, and need to rush so as not to let their team down.  Also a 5s has dubious roles like the sandwiched spot, which are very basically no fun to play.  Also the 5s tend to be ruined by stacking and smurfing players and other poor behaviour, and are more affected by lag and drops.  They are no good for beta and have stifled the development of the game.  The only effective beta testing could be 1v1 or by small premade teams.  Ever seen a good 5s replay?  The only ones I've seen have comments like x and x dropped early x was a newbie and our x was a smurf but they still had 4 to 3 watch our epic comeback... and they are crap games, just drivel.      

Well, the Optimization Mod I'm working on with Major Stress and some others (myfist ) will solve the lag issues....

The drops I can't help.

And I do think that we are close to balance.  There has been enough patches out to pick one that was the closest to balanced... and work from there.

As far as bad locations on random maps and such... just play prebuilt maps.  Oh wait, you cant download them automatically (ahem, Devs... this would REALLY be nice, please )

I personally is still playing the game, I only have a dozen games so ya.... but I am mainly only playing the star trek mod.