As much as I would love to help and solve the issue I haven't got a clue.
However on your point about comments I have two things to say to that.
For the most part I kind of expect some type of upvote even if it's 1% on my post if someone spends the time to write a comment on it. A built in vote per comment could be interesting lol
I also agree that comments should be given a small upvote as long as it's of quality and not straight up spam. By rewarding engagement and quality engagement you invite more quality and more engagement on your posts. It's one of the most powerful ways to build a following here on hive.