After 3 hours of recording.

Never made it to the last 2D section of Seaside Hill 2.  The furthest I made it was to the side-step area where I either hit a bomb because I brain-farted or didn't jump or mis-jumped.

Normally, I could try recording a bit longer, but - I really hate this stage.  Even though it took me literally months to get down Crisis City Act 2, it didn't stress me out like this stage does.  This was the first stage to actually upset me to that extent - which is feeling stressed.  If I reach that point again, I'm just going to stop because there is frustration and then there is stress (and unlike frustration, stress kills).  After taking a break, I was too tired to try again.

So, what are my problems?  Honestly, nothing I haven't already said before, though there's more to add with one crucial discovery.  The biggest challenges is still the section after the killer whales and then grinding.

• It seems that once Sonic lands after the display of orca, if you boost too early, you will fuck up the camera which causes it to zoom more on Sonic and less on the surroundings.  This is easily avoidable if you slightly delay the boost when he lands.
• That whole part where you are aiming him to collect rings, drift over water and then smash enemies & collect rings to fill the boost meter before hopping into the cannon is very tedious and was the center of my issues this morning.  Aiming Sonic at the rings properly is a challenge.  Water treading is okay, it's just that the camera doesn't point at what's ahead of Sonic after he's done drifting on the water.  With a bit more attentiveness I believe I can fix that issue.

• However, in the first 2D section where you wall jump and air boost into the trick ring is so ununderstandable when it comes to getting Sonic consistently high enough on the wall jump platform after destroying that enemy.

Fortunately, I was able to figure out on my own why Sonic refuses to air boost after entering  the cannon and hitting the springs.  See that enemy that's standing next to the cannon - DON'T TOUCH IT.  It was only because I was killing before landing in the cannon that the air boost wouldn't work.

Unfortunately, that opened up a new problem - getting used to using it.  After the air boost, if I want to hop off the platform and on to the rail (providing I don't air boost over the platform, though that may suggest I'm doing it too late) I'm going to have to air boost again just before landing on the rail to get the most out of it.  I find this to be very tricky to simply perform since the camera is mostly above your head. If you reached the cannon with say, less than half boost meter, the two air boosts will destroy your meter, and you can forget about running on water in the next section.  Alternatively, I can just air boost immediately after hitting the last spring and land on the speed booster... and it didn't seem all that much slower, honestly (helluvalot easier.)

And of course there are times the controls don't want to respond...

All these things really make me realize that this stage is really good at revealing the problems within this gameplay from the camera to the controls.  Seaside Hill is super stingy when it comes to meter and it sometimes made me wish that Sonic's boost was more useful when it comes to magnetizing rings (not like Unleashed HD, just better balanced.).  The only reason why the last 2D section is so easy is because the top section is just so simple, all it's good for is to just prepare you for the last 3D section of running on water.  It's just wall jump, air boost, kill an enemy, go through the 180, air boost late, collect rings on rails, fall, air boost, boost, run the 3D section.

I really hate speed running this stage.  At first it was fun, but I wasn't going nearly as fast at first... and maybe Sonic Team wasn't either.  I was thinking practicing it with skills might be nice (or just doing a skilled recorded run instead).  I'm not discouraged... just frustrated.

Good night.