Most often, Natural Selection 2 builds are internally tested and then pushed out into your loving hands via Steam. That internal testing focuses on making the game is not broken in some major way before everyone gets it.
In some cases, this testing is not enough for us to be comfortable enough to widely release a build. For example, when we make highly technical changes to the game: Often chasing framerate improvements, or perhaps re-engineering a piece of the game to make it easier to work with. Build 242 is one of those cases.
On Steam, you can right click on Natural Selection 2, select properties, Betas, and then select 'Beta - Patch Beta Release Branch.' This will grant you access to Build 242. Warning - do not do this if you want to be able to reliably play NS2!
The number of servers running Beta 242 is very small. You might not be able to find a game. If you do find a game, the game may break (That is, after all, why we are testing it!). If you want to be at the bleeding edge of NS2 builds, testing the latest code to see if it runs faster for you, jump into the Beta. If the idea of few servers and a breaking game scare you, stick with 241 for now.
If you opt into 242 and then change your mind, simply return to Natural Selection 2 properties on Steam, and select 'None - Opt out of all beta programs' in the drop down list. Please share your feedback on Build 242 in the thread below. We are seeking technical, rather than gameplay feedback at the moment (bugs, crashes, framerates, PCs on fire, cats on fire).
After the weekend, we will collate all your feedback and work out what we need to do to get 242 out the door!