Yeah, I'm designing in a bit of a vacuum here and greatly oversimplifying things - I hadn't even considered how level gimmicks would factor into this shape. Glad to hear you place such an emphasis on level variety though; Sonic 1 is actually my favourite of the classics because of how unique each level feels, and how this lends to the game's overall pacing.
Out of interest, are there any levels from the official 3D titles that you consider to have particularly strong design, or that you and Lange are looking to for inspiration, maybe?
Out of interest, are there any levels from the official 3D titles that you consider to have particularly strong design, or that you and Lange are looking to for inspiration, maybe?