#cosmic engine

Generally speaking I do not take requests because I feel like part of what makes "The Definitive Way to Play" special is that these are usually mods I have field tested over a long period of time because I use them with games I want to play.

Making "Definitive Way to Play" for games outside of that sphere of influence potentially introduces scenarios where I'm telling people about things I'm not intimately aware of front to back, and currently that makes me uncomfortable.

That being said, "The Definitive Way to Play Sonic CD" is actually something that very briefly crossed my mind as something I could do some day. There is a mod that implements Sonic: Time Twisted's time travel mechanics. Which is to say, as long as you are running remotely fast and touch a past/future sign, you instantly warp to that time zone.

The issue with that is I think it's tricky to do a video like that. You mention there's nothing like Sonic 1 Forever, and that's definitely true. I'm not going to shoutout mods for a version of the game you can't actually buy anymore.

Something is in the works called Cosmic, which is basically a top-to-bottom rewrite of Retro Engine v3 (what the 2011 Sonic CD is made in), but it's still a work-in-progress and I'm not sure it's compatible with any of the mods that I'd want to try out and recommend.

*A simulation of the Su Sung astronomical clock tower of 1089 AD, a Chinese water-powered “Cosmic Engine.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Su_Song

Su Song (simplified Chinese: 苏颂; traditional Chinese: 蘇頌; pinyin: Sū Sòng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: So͘ Siōng; courtesy name: Zirong 子容)[1] (1020–1101 AD) was a Chinese polymathic scientist and statesman. Excelling in a variety of fields, he was accomplished in mathematics, astronomy, cartography, geography, horology, pharmacology, mineralogy, metallurgy, zoology, botany, mechanical engineering, hydraulic engineering, civil engineering, architecture, invention, art, poetry, philosophy, antiquities, and statesmanship during the Song Dynasty (960–1279).

Su Song was the engineer for a hydro-mechanical astronomical clock tower in medieval Kaifeng, which employed the use of an early escapement mechanism.[2][3][4][5] The escapement mechanism of Su's clock tower had been invented by Buddhist monk Yi Xing and government official Liang Lingzan in 725 AD to operate a water-powered armillary sphere, although Su's armillary sphere was the first to be provided with a mechanical clock drive.[5][6][7] Su's clock tower also featured the oldest known endless power-transmitting chain drive, called the tian ti (天梯), or "celestial ladder", as depicted in his horological treatise.[8] The clock tower had 133 different clock jacks to indicate and sound the hours.[9]