Is he though? His point is exactly that it doesn't affect balance at all unless YOU, the player make it so. In other words, if you don't pick pocket at all it is literally not in the game. No enemies, NPC's or anyone else in the game will pickpocket you, anyone in your party, or anyone else in the game on their own.
It only happens if you do it. It's a mechanic entirely within the players control, and therefore can be disregarded without any fear of it being used against you in the game.
That's entirely different than say, questioning the way height advantage works. Because a player could just stroll directly into the blighted village, fail some die rolls and be sniped out by the goblins on the rooftops.(or some such other encounter)
Do you see the difference? Pickpocketing, like save scumming, is a player choice, it's something only the player does, and if you choose not to then it simply doesn't exist in the game.
I think what alot of you are talking about is self discipline. Essentially you are saying, if it's there, you cannot resist the urge. That's fine, and it would be a valid argument. It would also be a more honest one than hiding behind this "balance" thing, because you for some reason fear that admitting you don't have the self control not to do it would make you appear weak.
I don't necessarily think that's the case, but let's all at least be honest here. This is an issue of self control, not balance.
Wrong. A game must be balanced around what is possible and not around the expectations that the player will not use certain options available to him.
When pickpocketing is possible it means the game must still work when the player pickpockets everything instead of becoming completely unbalanced, even if that means some entitled players whine that they can't have easy mode (besides setting the game to easy).
But pickpocketing in and of itself is not broken. I fail pickpockets all the time. It's when you combine it with reloading your saves that the issue becomes what you have a problem with.
Reloading saves has and will probably always be a thing. I think you're just gonna have to live with it dude. Because as long as you can reload saves, there will be people farming pickpocketing. Even if you reduce the chances of a successful pickpocket, people will still farm it. That's just video games man.
What people here are trying to tell you is that it need not affect YOUR game personally. You just need to excerise some self control.
Or like I suggested earlier, have two games going at once. One where you play it straight, and one where you give in to your exploitative impulses.
Other than that, I think you're out of luck.
Sorry.
