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Original Level Order

Partial Original Order

Up to a point the game's original level order can be revealed to us by investigating the game's leftover actstgdata.lua file.

actstgdata.lua
old_stage_all = {
   -- w1
   {
      title = "w1草原",

      stages = {
         {
            name = "w1a01",
            title = "w1-1:グラスヒル",
         },
         {
            name = "w1a02",
            title = "w1-2:インディ洞窟",
         },
         {
            name = "w1a03",
            title = "w1-3:月光",
         },
         {
            name = "w1a04",
            title = "w1-4:大ナール軍",
         },
         {
            name = "w1a05",
            title = "w1-5:モアイ",
         },
         {
            name = "w1c01",
            title = "w1-A:キン斗雲",
         },
      },
   },
   -- w2
   {
      title = "w2砂漠",

      stages = {
         {
            name = "w2a01",
            title = "w2-1:サンドワーム軍",
         },
         {
            name = "w2a02",
            title = "w2-2:スカイチェイス",
         },
         {
            name = "w2a03",
            title = "w2-3:古代都市",
         },
         {
            name = "w2a04",
            title = "w2-4:タカアシガニ",
         },
         {
            name = "w2a05",
            title = "w2-5:サンドワーム体内",
         },
         {
            name = "w2a06",
            title = "w2-6:竜巻",
         },
         {
            name = "w2c01",
            title = "w2-A:黄色三連バネ",
         },
      },
   },
   -- w3
   {
      title = "w3南国",

      stages = {
         {
            name = "w3a01",
            title = "w3-1:南国ビーチ",
         },
         {
            name = "w3a03",
            title = "w3-3:フルーツ農園",
         },
         {
            name = "w3a07",
            title = "w3-7:南国ビーチ2",
         },
      },
   },
   -- w4
   {
      title = "w4雪",

      stages = {
         {
            name = "w4a01",
            title = "w4-1:軍事工場",
         },
         {
            name = "w4a02",
            title = "w4-2:インディ洞窟2",
         },
         {
            name = "w4a03",
            title = "w4-3:ilomiloお菓子",
         },
      },
   },
   -- w5
   {
      title = "w5ジャングル",

      stages = {
         {
            name = "w5a01",
            title = "w5-1:ジャングル軌道施設",
         },
      },
   },
}

Many of these levels have been deleted. However, there's plenty of changes we can dissect in this list.

Windy Hill

Final Original
w1a01 w1a01
w1a03 w1a02
xind01 w1a03
w1a06 w1a04
w1a05
w1c01

w1a02

Starting off just like the final, it swiftly changes gears by heading into w1a02 instead of w1a03. However, checking the description of the level (インディ洞窟), it matches up with the final game's xind01 suggesting the two stages are one and the same, however the starting positions don't line up.

xind01 w1a02
{ -25.0, -43.3, 1328.6 } { 50.1, -10.55, -188.27 }

w1a03

The following level is w1a03, meaning Act 3 and Act 2 were likely swapped around early into development.

w1a04

The order then continues with w1a04, which is originally used as Sky Road Act 1. This suggests that this level was meant to be used in Windy Hill, which is supported by the fact that the level shares a very similar look with that area of the game.

w1a05

w1a05 shares its description (モアイ) with the level xmoa01 (Silent Forest Act 4) suggesting, just like the previous stage, it was to come much sooner into the game, however once again the starting positions don't line up.

xmoa01 w1a05
{ -720, 7070, 0 } { 80, 10067.96, 0 }

Looking at xmoa01's set data reveals a few leftover objects in the sky around w1a05's spawn position. This list includes:
4x - ObjPointSoundSource
1x - ObjGiantMoaiOut
1x - ObjGFieldConstant
1x - EventVolumeCameraChange
1x - GPathCamera
1x - GoalRing
1x - SetRigidBody

The spawn position being so close to the GoalRing means the level was more than likely supposed to start close to its end, though not meaning it was a short level as the Moai objects function as warp objects. Leftover objects in xmoa01's sky around w1a05's spawn position. The leftover objects in SonicGLvL.

w1c01

Finally for Windy Hill there's w1c01. Taking note of the change from a to a c, it seems this level wasn't meant to be a normal act but a challenge level.
Looking at the description (キン斗雲) once again, it reveals to us that this level is non-other than xnim01 (Hidden World Act 1) from the final game, however once again there's a small difference in starting locations.

xnim01 w1c01
{ 0.00, -100.00,-10.00 } { 0.00, -95.00, 30.00 }

Interestingly enough this leaves the final game's second encounter with Zazz in w1a06 nowhere to be seen.

Desert Ruins

Final Original
w2a01 w2a01
xbee01 w2a02
xswe01 w2a03
w2a06 w2a04
w2a05
w2a06
w2c01

w2a02

Starting off just like the final, it swiftly changes gears by heading into w2a02 instead of xbee01. However, checking the description of the level (スカイチェイス), it matches up with the final game's xsky01, suggesting the two stages are one and the same, however the starting positions don't line up. Interestingly enough this level also has the SKYCHASE tag, meaning it was a level where you controlled the Tornado just like the final iteration of the stage.

xsky01 w2a02
{ 0.0, 270.0, 17950.0 } { 2401.1, 63.06, 3125.81 }

Test level stg823 has the following comment, which is about this level: w2-2:直径20mテスト. This comment roughly translates to World 2-2: 20m Diameter Test.

w2a03

This level sadly does not have a final counterpart in the release of the game. Its description roughly translates to Ancient City.

w2a04

This level sadly does not have a final counterpart in the release of the game. Its description roughly translates to Japanese Spider Crab.

w2a05

This level sadly does not have a final counterpart in the release of the game. Its description roughly translates to Sandworm Body.

w2c01

w2c01 is the final level of the original order for Desert Ruins, but it's actually used as Sky Road Act 4 in the final game. The aesthetics of the area does match up with the look of Desert Ruins, so it's quite likely that this level was supposed to be there originally. The description for this level roughly translates to "Yellow Triple Spring", meaning it was very likely going to function like the Yellow Spring levels from Sonic Colors. This is supported by the fact that the Moving Springs in the level behave very similarly to the Yellow Springs in Sonic Colors.

Tropical Coast

From here on out the original level order becomes very segmented with barely any trace left of it.

Final Original
w3a01 w3a01
w3a03
xsea01 w3a03
w3a06
w6a03
w3a07

w3a07

This level sadly does not have a final counterpart in the release of the game. Its description is the same as w3a01's with but it has a 2 at the end.

Frozen Factory

Final Original
w4a01 w4a01
w4a04 w4a02
xcas01 w4a03
w4a06

w4a02

The second level instead of being w4a04 is w4a02. However, checking the description of the level (インディ洞窟2), it matches up with the final game's xind02 (Silent Forest Act 3) suggesting the two stages are one and the same, however the starting positions don't line up.

xind02 w4a02
{ 0.00, -49.99, 14663.00 } { -0.18, -52.03, -73.52 }

w4a03

The third level instead of being xcas01 is w4a03. However, checking the description of the level (ilomiloお菓子), it matches up with the final game's xswe01 (Desert Ruins Act 3) suggesting the two stages are one and the same, however the starting positions don't line up.

xswe01 w4a03
{ -590.76, 403.30, 1040.85 } { -1.08, 3.02, -3.30 }

Inside the configuration file for the level xswe01, the file is still called w4a03_config.lua, however the brief section states it's a configuration file for w2a05.

xswe01_config.lua
---------------------------------------------------------------
-- @file    w4a03_config.lua
-- @author  Jibiki_Hisae
-- @brief   w2-5 の設定ファイル
-- @data    2012/7/20
---------------------------------------------------------------

Silent Forest

Final Original
w5a01 w5a01
w5a02
xind02
xmoa01

Sky Road

w6a03

The secret level of Tropical Coast in the final game. As most of Sky Roads levels seem to come from elsewhere, it's hard to make a proper judgement on whether the stage would aesthetically belong in Sky Road or not, it does however play very similarly to w6a05, Sky Road's Act 3.
The configuration file for the level does state that it belongs to Sky Road as well.

w6a03_config.lua
---------------------------------------------------------------
-- @file    w6a03_config.lua
-- @author  Yoshitaka Miura
-- @brief   w6-3 の設定ファイル
-- @data    2012/10/30
---------------------------------------------------------------

w6a05

Inside the configuration file for the level xnim02 the brief section states it's a configuration file for w6a05.

xnim02_config.lua
---------------------------------------------------------------
-- @file     xnim02_config.lua
-- @author  Yoshitaka_Miura
-- @brief   w6-5 の設定ファイル
-- @data    2013/5/4
---------------------------------------------------------------

Speculative Additions

This section includes educated guesses due to lack of leftover data from the game.

Tropical Coast

w3a02, w3a04, and w3c01 are nowhere to be seen. It's possible that these levels turned into one of the levels that don't start with the world number, or that they didn't exist to begin with. As the stage originally had a 7th act it's possible that is what would have been the equivalent of w3c01 in this zone.

w3a05

Test level w0a04 has the following comment, which is about this level: w3-5:SVカジノテスト(w0a04). This comment roughly translates to World 3-5: Sideview Casino Test (w0a04). This could mean that w3a05 turned into xcas01 later on into development, which is housed in Frozen Factory in the final game.

Frozen Factory

w4a05 and w4c01 are nowhere to be seen. It's possible that these levels turned into one of the levels that don't start with the world number, or that they didn't exist to begin with.

Silent Forest

w5a04, w5a05, w5a06 and w5c01 are nowhere to be seen.It's possible that these levels turned into one of the levels that don't start with the world number, or that they didn't exist to begin with.

w5a03

The second level of Sky Road in the original game. The overall aesthetic of the level does match up with Silent Forest, which suggests it really did belong to Silent Forest at some point.

Sky Road

w6a01, w6a02, w6a06 and w6c01 are nowhere to be seen. It's possible that these levels turned into one of the levels that don't start with the world number, or that they didn't exist to begin with.

Lava Mountain

w7a04, w7a05 and w7c01 are nowhere to be seen. It's possible that these levels turned into one of the levels that don't start with the world number, or that they didn't exist to begin with.