Worth the read.
The Race Points can be seen to follow a certain pattern...which when you reverse-engineer the mathematics you discover that the standard (10 RP) races start having less than the advanced and monstrous races as soon as they reach character level 6 and higher.
By looking at the table in the sidebar at the top right of page 3 in the Advanced Races Guide beta test, you can see that the adjusted level of races (no matter how many race points they were designed with) decreases by 1 at 6th character level and every five characters thereafter (6th, 11th, 16th, 21st, etc.) (Note: I included levels above 16th level to show this part of the formula.)
With the current beta test race point allotment, this means that all races have at least 10 race points at level 1. The beta test rules as written have all races that started with more than 10 points at level 1, have their level adjustment reduced by 1 at character level 6 and every 5 character levels they attain thereafter (to a minimum of a +0 level adjustment). This means that the standard (10 race points) races keep becoming more under-powered compared to non-standard races at character level 6 and every five character levels gained after that.
To keep things balanced, starting from level 1 and maintaining the balance among all the races as they level up, we have two Solutions:
Solution 1:
All races only have 10 race points of racial abilities at level 1. At 6th character level, and every five character levels thereafter each race gains 10 more race points (though could get less points at these higher levels). For standard races, simple things such as improving existing level one abilities (low-light vision, darkvision for example) merely increase in range or they gain additional similar racial abilities that they gained at 1st level. For example, humans could gain another bonus feat and/or extra bonus skill ranks. For advanced and monstrous races (who only started with 10 race points at 1st character level) they can spend these extra race points when they gained them at the higher levels to gain more racial abilities. (Note: the cosmetics of the race can be exactly as you envision it at first level, such as wings that do not allow you to fly until you reach 6th level and spend the appropriate amount of race points to make your wings functionally (or improves your existing flight racial ability).
Solution 2:
Since the formula can be seen that 10 race points are 'automatically bought off for free at 6th character level and every five levels thereafter...that works out to 2 race points gained per character level gained past 1st level. Instead of needing to wait every five character levels to gain more race points (and avoid suddenly developing/increasing several racial abilities), each character can spend these race points as they gain them (and being able to save them to acquire higher-cost racial abilities at the higher levels).
Both the above solutions would keep all the various races (allowed as PC races) balanced from the get-go and keep them balanced no matter what character level they are.
Feedback?
I am not touching on the individual race point costs of the various racial abilities. That is a matter of comparing them. My thread post is regarding keeping the races balanced as in how many race points they gain/acquire.
I would suggest that the races start with 10 race points, then gain 1 race point each time they gain a character level.
Though many do not agree with several of the race point costs of the racial abilities in the beta test, I am going to use their race point costs for some of the following examples, in which races start with 10 race points at level 1 and gain 1 race point each time they gain a character level.
Humans
Start as standard (+2 to any ability score, bonus feat, +1 skill rank per character level). At 5th, 9th, 13th and 17th level they gain another bonus feat.
Dwarves
Start as standard (as per the Core Rulebook). At 2nd level they gain relentless; at 3rd level they gain poison resistance (which overlaps and does not stack with hardy); at 4th level they gain stubborn; at 8th level they gain ferocity; etc.
A Plant-type creature could start with the Plant type and the spell-like ability to use the spell entangle twice per day; at 2nd level it gains another daily use of the spell; at 6th level it gains the ability to fly (using its leaf-life skin to be able to make use of air currents) with a speed of 30 feet with clumsy maneuverability; at 8th level its fly speed increases to 40 feet (poor); at 10th level its fly speed increases to 50 feet (average); at 12th level its fly speed increases to 60 feet (good); at 14th level its fly speed increases to 70 feet (perfect); at 16th level its fly speed increases to 80 feet; at 18th level its fly speed increases to 90 feet; and at 20th level its fly speed increases to 100 feet (with perfect maneuverability). You could imagine that such a plant creature's leaf-like skin continues to grow which allows it to be better manipulate the air currents and its own 'skin' to attain faster and better maneuverability of flight as it levels up.
I do believe the way to making a working stream-line AND balanced system so that all races (whether standard, advanced, monstrous) stay balanced across all the levels is to FIRST come up with a formula for how many race points ALL races gain, both at first level and at higher levels. Once this formula has been finalized, THEN start pricing the various race point costs of all the racial abilities.
With the current beta test race point allotment, this means that all races have at least 10 race points at level 1. The beta test rules as written have all races that started with more than 10 points at level 1, have their level adjustment reduced by 1 at character level 6 and every 5 character levels they attain thereafter (to a minimum of a +0 level adjustment). This means that the standard (10 race points) races keep becoming more under-powered compared to non-standard races at character level 6 and every five character levels gained after that.
I would think it happens because relative power is dependent on specific class and the effective level gets a bit fuzzier as you go up levels. Hence they eliminate the adjustment slowly as you go up level. Another point justifying it is that many racial abilities are more useful / powerful at lower level and less relevant at higher level. Looking at it this way, the characters are balanced at low level and high level. Of course how effective the balance currently in the system is open for debate just as the relative value of some racial abilities is. Ymmv.