CIS-2014 in Minsk.

Only "HotA under SoD" with slight balance changes can lure the online community, and only then a gradual introduction of features.

It already is "under SoD"... the developers view changes to standard functionality quite skeptically; they mostly add new things. For example, they refused to implement the guild rebuild in the BT version. But, say, the idea of a new building on the map where you can buy spell scrolls appealed to them. I wouldn't venture to predict how it will turn out in the end.