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It is completely unrealistic to think that a soldier can't shoot another because there's a building hovering above his head, but that's exactly what that manouver represents.

First off, I don't think that realism is the goal of games, but in this case it actually is a bit realistic. :P

Units can be shot while under buildings, but they can't be manually targeted. If you are a commander with a birds-eye view of the battlefield, you wouldn't be able to tell a unit to attack something you didn't know was there. That brings up questions of fog-of-war, however...

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You haven't been listening. I like starcraft too. I'm not saying that the pace of it makes it a mindless clickfest. There's plenty of strategy in starcraft, and it's a fantastic game. If I didn't like it, I wouldn't play it so often. What I am saying though, is that I don't think this fast paced gameplay is the only way to play an RTS. I would like to see a game where the strategic elements are more believable, and the gameplay places a greater emphasis on strategy than on micromanagement skills. Not necessarily to replace the current standards, but in addition.

That is pretty much rephrasing my last paragraph.

I like starcraft. I turtle on single player, because I am not good. On multiplayer, I get my ass kicked. For a time in college, I was good at it, but I haven't played it in years.

Anything in real time is ultimately going to boil down to how fast you can control your input. Whether that input is manual, mouse, keyboard, voice activated, hell- even a direct neural interface, the game would eventually be a control decided game. In the case of direct neural input you would have players complaining that they can't think as fast as others so the game should do more of it for them.

That said, if you want a game that relies more on your cunning and strategic ability, go for a turn based game. I hope that these games make a comeback because I do find them enjoyable. I doubt they will however.

Lastly, play L.I.F.E. where you true brain power and abilities can easily shine through.

It doesn't always boil down to who is the fastest; you must factor in the quality of the decisions as well. Some of the greatest non-Korean Starcraft players have fewer actions-per-minute (there is a very popular program that calculates it from your replays) than I do, but they 10x better.

However, speed is a factor, and that is what keeps things from being boring and slow. You must like board (almost a pun) games a lot. :P

edit: And about mental abilities: why can't your mind's quickness factor in with intelligence?