So, I've been holding off on playing this game because it keeps getting huge updates/patches.

The time between the last one and this one was more signifcant than their last update, and there were less things updated.

Does this mean it is perhaps close to optimized and fixed and I can go ahead and give it a whirl (and download and install it), or should I maybe wait a while longer for another update?

Pretty sure it's been close to optimized and mostly fixed for some time. Based on past updates you may want to wait a few days before downloading in case the release a few quick fixes in short order.

thanks! optimized was wrong word

I mean more bug fixes and broken-quest fixes and class tweaks to get it how they want it to be (finally?) not performance optimization

Almost all are balance tweaks. I'm not sure why the feel the need to keep changing it.

weird

I've noticed a few small bugs already, however, right at the beginning. NPC's yellow diamonds switch to greyed out diamonds when I listen to their spiel, but when I go out and fight and then come back to town the diamonds are often re-yellowed (making me think there is something new from them), and they give the same spiel and their yellow diamond turns grey, and then I go out to the field, come back, and they're yellow. I'm having to check every NPC every single time I come back to Helos just to see if something has updated because those gems are making me thinking so.) Also having bugs happen with the portal where I have to exit/re-enter the portal area if I click on the location I'm already on in order to click a new location. And a bunch of other weird bugs that at this point in the game's existence, I have no idea why they still exist.

Stopping playing until the next patch because that gem stuff is so annoying for a completionist like me.

The gem stuff has been there from the beginning. I do find it quite annoying myself. That may be something they don't plan on fixing. :(

makes me wish I'd never bought the game then

that's fucked that it's been there since the beginning, it's HUGELY annoying

and seems like an easy fix, and for all the tweaking and fixing they've been doing...what the fuck?

steam forums you say??? .... I'll have to think about that

but thanks for confirming that I'm definitely anal retentive

I too get NPCs with yellow diamonds above their heads repeatedly. It's nice to be able to have them recite their dialogue when talking to them again optionally, but confusing and not so useful that they re-highlight with yellow which overrides the "you haven't done this yet" mindset we're trained to see the yellow colour to mean. They should leave them grey, and let the dialogue rewind if they like but not act as if it is brand new never heard.

Err, sorry. I was just trying to be helpful and confirming your anal-retentiveness wasn't my intention...

no worries, man! I said it in good-humor!!! you were helpful, thank you!

damn internet not portraying my mood properly!

Alright :)

Working as intended.

it's not a bug. It happens to gems only, not to quest markers. They're supposed to become yellow on each encounter, it has been like that since vanilla.