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Please elaborate. I had a somewhat related discussion today on the topic that skill is not determined by execution.

Hmmm. Your hypothesis is interesting. Do you mean they will not want to play anymore because they can do everything and there's nothing left to practice (aside from the actual gameplay) ,or do you simply mean that it is far easier to be a high level player without an execution barrier,and it will "lose" it's mid-level playerbase that way?

It's a concept of tangibility. Teaching a mid level player mindgames is much more difficult because they don't quite comprehend the bigger picture of the games meta, which often leads to complaint about "broken this" or "tier that".

To be a mid level player someone has learned so much already; much like a teenager, they think they know everything. Therefore, if there is nothing for them to focus on to keep them learning and coming back for more on their own time, they make the conclusion that the game is what they define it to be in their own mind.

Once more interesting. So you're saying they have to KNOW they can't do something (like say a JFT) for them to think there is room to improve because it's easy to THINK you're good at mind games and such?

I'll buy it.

A good example might be SF4. What would the game be without links? Or Tekken, what would the game really be without it's throw breaking system or it's movement system? I argue that while execution barriers are not always desirable, they do form a function of padding out and game adding depth in certain ways.

I'd actually say SC has a lot of those players.

Some games implement it in good ways (SF4, imo) and some games implement it badly (Tekken). I think SC is slightly on the side of bad, but not for too many execution barriers, but simply, that the ones which do exist are often in stupid places.

For example? I am just curious.

The easiest example would be the character Alpha Pat. Does execution difficulty really justify over the top tools? He is an example of the bad. A good example might be Astaroth JF throws. It has the same essential effect if you JF it or not, but you are rewarded positively for practicing it.

Makes sense.

Every character should have had a few JF's that basically just add bonus damage or something like that (like Pat, Pyr, or Asta) IMO.

Would make the game seem more deep and it's just one more thing to practice.

Plus flashy flashy!

I also theorize "general" execution barriers CAN be ok, but they shouldn't be on things which are necessary for basic comfort playing the game; like say movement inputs, or universal defense modes. However, if you were willing to make say, the combo system be the place where the execution took place, then it would be something that would be optimal to learn, but not 100% necessary to play the game.