Ryzom

The mere presence of the random element means that there will never really be "balance" in the game. If you don't believe that, here's an experiment to try. Add a random element to tic-tac-toe, such as flipping a coin before your turn. If it's heads, you get to make two moves. If it's tails, you only make one. This will add a bit of challenge and randomness. It also destroys the game's balance. Whoever flips the luckier coins will probably win the majority of times. Eventually, this too will get boring because you haven't "unbalanced" the game all that much, and you haven't given the player a chance to learn anything new.

I think this is self-refuting. A random factor is just that - random. It does not introduce imbalance unless it is itself biased toward one player or another. Unless one believes that certain people are "luckier" than others in any statistically significant way.

Indeed, with MMOs, that is exactly what "balancing" is designed to eliminate - one set of players being inherently "luckier" overall, due to unintentionally (or intentionally) biased game design.

Fact is, with the chaotic nature of a MMO, you have to set up some rules and observe the results, then adjust and observe repeatedly, in order to identify and improve statistically interesting problems with rulesets. It's just not predictable in any meaningful way until you get some data.

So, I guess I come down in favor of making adjustments when the current rules make problems or seriously degrade the fun or utility of certain aspects of a game.

Tic Tac Toe has a winner and a loser (or two "draw"ers). If the permutations of nine squares grow tedious, add a few more and you suddenly have a completely new game, with different tactics and deeper demands on the players. And still utterly balanced.

MMOs have a set of customers, ALL of whom should have fun, and "win".

(random stream of consciousness now ending...)