I got the Alpha!
Questions:
Will Steam download the most resent Alpha or are there patches I need to seek and if so where/how?
Is there something I need to do to get my forum badge?
Steam always has the latest version available to you, and that's the only place you can download the game.
You should get your badge after you first run the game and register it (it may take a bit after that to show up).
Yes, it will. Unless you disabled auto-update in the options.
You don't need to do anything. It's already there.
Edit: ...and ninja'd. Again.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:
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