Star Trek: Starfleet Command III online for a new player?

[ReadyAndWilling]

hey all, i played this game once or twice when it came out and had problems with it constantly crashing.

i'm thinking about trying it out again, but i just want to know if it has a large online community and how do the new patches make a difference? where can i grab the new patches i've heard about? is it difficult to find a game?

i have a mic and ventrilo and would be great if someone could guide me on the trekbbs or on vent.

thanks