actually, (first time using spoiler dropdowns on itch, so hopefully this works ^^”)
i was convinced from the start that i would need to roll the ball at some point! i compared it to chekhov's gun - just as a gun should eventually be fired, a ball should eventually be made to roll. i figured that if you never expected the player to roll it, then you would've instead made it just a cube. one solution might be to make it so the ball doesn't roll backwards as the platform moves forwards? that way, the intended solution would feel less jank. it'll use some more tuning, but it is a really good puzzle in my opinion!