PlanetsCentral

I have noticed that I don't receive allied VCRs with my flak10.dat.

This should work: if your ally offers you vision, combat, and ship (+v +c +s) level alliance, you see their combat.

As far as I can tell, this is the same rule as in PHost.

Also there seem to be no distress calls from other players' battles.

This ("distress call and explosion detected...") does indeed not yet exist.

--Stefan