Hey anons. OP here. After posting on 8kun I was pointed here, so I'll copy-paste what I last send there here.
Has it really been over half a year since the last post here? Times flies by when you're standing still.
As many may be able to point out, Sonic Time Corruption wasn't at SAGE this year. Roadblocks got in the way, team members were busy with their own (and more successful) projects etc. so I couldn't get anything done myself. However, now that things are returning to normal, I too am back in development.
Here's a direct comparison shot of all 3 time variants of Tropical Trouble, the archetypal opening stage of every Sonic game. 2 are very similar, yet subtly different, and for a reason.