Skill = coordination + timing + precision + adaptability under complexity. Tricklining objectively scores higher in all four... lol
A normal line might be 3–5 inputs. A trickline can be 10–20+ perfectly timed inputs (manuals, flips, spins, reverts, stance changes) with no breaks. More inputs = more chances to mess up = higher execution skill.
Manuals/reverts aren’t passive—you’re constantly correcting balance. Holding a long manual chain is an active skill check the whole time, not just at the start/end.
The pop mechanics and advanced chaining added depth that realistic skating simply doesn’t match. That’s why tricklines dominated feeds for a decade: they look insane because they’re mechanically demanding.
Way more players can do clean realistic lines than can consistently hold advanced tricklines. That gap exists for a reason... it’s harder.
If the game wants to keep its high-skill endgame alive (and the community that stuck around after EA abandoned the old titles), it needs to support both styles instead of forcing one rigid “realistic” box.
That’s exactly the point. It’s not about one style being 'better' than the other, it’s about the mechanical depth that allows for that level of execution. Skill expression is what gives a game its 'endgame' and long-term replayability. Supporting both playstyles through a toggle or restored mechanics ensures the game remains a true sandbox for everyone, rather than a rigid and restrictive experience for some, lowering the skill ceiling only hurts the game, there are many other skating games that go more in depth with the realism and if they’re going to cater to that specific playstyle there already is better options for that, no one gains anything from taking out pop mechanics but a sizable chunk of the community loses its reason to keep coming back without them. Flashy tricklining has always been a very big part of the skate community, they can't claim to listen to the community while actively alienating it for no reason.
Tricklining is very deliberate and optional, no one is forced to do that but EA is forcing everyone into a realistic playstyle.
