it seems theres been a bit of a mix up on this thread. i dont think guidelines of quality (standards) has anything to do with creative freedom. theyre not mutually exclusive. i think we all should encourage "thinking outside the box" within track making but that has nothing to do with amateurish 'mistakes' that new track makers often fall upon.

floating platforms have been mentioned as one of these 'faults' and in turn, so has 'dreamscape' style tracks. this illustrates my point quite well. dreamscape was clearly an imaginitave design concept and NOT inexperience with the editor (obviously) and its this difference that has been missed by some people.

as for the question, i think it depends.
should you keep in mind guideline standards when building tracks? if you want to be taken seriously as a creator then YES.
should that affect your creative ideas and designs - NO!!