Development of Discovery 4.85 is sometime behind the schedule. This delay was expected, and caused by many various factors, including the circumstances of the members of our newly-formed team, submission delays, and general complexity of the features planned for the next Discovery version. However, right now I can confidently say that the day when you will see the first public beta of 4.85 is quite close.
Still, it is impossible to announce exact time because we still lack some of the much-needed submissions. Many testing tasks are also far from completion, and it is already clear that for the next version our development procedures will have to change significantly. After the beta is released and installed on our main server, I will ask everyone to remain patient and avoid engaging in flame wars regarding any mod changes, especially the balance changes. There are many various rumors floating around, but please keep in mind two things. First: though it's public, it will still be just a beta. Many things are yet bound to change. Second: before making your conclusions about balance, be sure to test yourself instead of trusting others' opinions. We will need feedback, but not feedback that originates from community rumors, but one based on facts, numbers, and your own experience.
Today, I've posted a new pre-release FAQ for Discovery 4.85 to answer some of the questions that have been raised - and never answered - in the recent months.
