- as proven by past puzzdors, small visual hints and cues easily go unnoticed. the best way to guide the player is often by force: by reshaping and reorganizing the level, or making it more linear, or at least having a notable incentive like diamonds. your shop wall tile beat skip setup *will* get overlooked in the wrong context (probably most of the time)

- as much as you may want to create a very complex puzzle with 10 possible routes at all times, it becomes difficult to track player progress at that point, and it can lead to racers trying the wrong order of operations over and over again, with the luckiest passing through first

- if it is possible, keep the level mod free

- level testers are the uncredited work force! they represent sample players, emulating the actual puzzdor. tester feedback is invaluable - if they do, feel, think, like or dislike something, chances are the real racers will, too

- players may sometimes not notice that they have an item if it is given to them automatically, eg. at the start of the floor. key items are noticed the best if you have to focus somewhat on collecting them

- it's good to make your level fast to execute after having done it a few times, to minimise time spent redoing completed sections. splitting into multiple floors is a safe bet

- remember to change up the music!

- theming floors by zones scores you some free points on design. apparantly