I think you speak for teh majority of teh place base with this. I am sure SV knows that the population after a patch has not been this low in a while. Can't be a good sign when their buggy mess right after the stress test was more enjoyable compared to the current stat of the game. I think a problem we are experiencing is that the team is busy "fixing" stuff instead of adding stuff. Which is understandable given their size and the speed time line they have set themselves. I just hope it's not a money problem.
Sometimes all it takes is all those minor changes that have no purpose on their own to be grouped and released at the same time, so people can actually test the mechanics and give a positive feedback.
We all know its a tiny team, but thats not excuse to release content like that lol, they are wearing out the player base before the game its even out.