Source:
https://www.smbxgame.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3061
Author:
Chad

Description:
Super Mario Star Expedition (Reposted!)

Post by Chad » 10 Jun 2014, 18:39
Since this episode isn't really available on any of the forums anymore, I decided to repost it. Enjoy!

I realize that people have heard quite enough about this, but I'd like for it to stay available for people who want it, especially since new people have joined as of the last several months that may not have tried it. I have been occasionally working to fix some things too, and some people have asked me to post it, so I figured I might as well. For anyone that may be new to this, it's a pretty standard game. There are 9 worlds, 6 levels per world (except for 9 levels in the last world because it's a special postgame world), 3 stars in each level, and 1 star in each hub. The total number of stars is 180. The levels are rather long and you'll have to do a lot of exploring if you want all of the stars, so those of you that aren't fans of long levels should either only play a few at a time or not try this at all. World 9 is especially grueling, so I'd recommend just playing only one of those levels in a sitting unless you're really determined. The difficulty curve is intended to be manageable by a newbie at the start, while slowly making its way to frustratingly hard by the end.

Screenshots:
Spoiler: show
I have prepared two download links for this, but you only need to pick one:

Full Package: This download has absolutely all of SMSE's resources. If you're playing for the first time or you've lost/deleted the episode, this is the download you want.

Lite Package: This download contains everything EXCEPT for most of the music. There are a few tracks left in for levels that have changed themes over time, but most of it has been removed to shrink the download for previous players. Download this if you still have an old version, as this package should neatly overwrite any previous installments.
I haven't kept a full and detailed changelog going, but just so it might not be a complete waste for previous players, here are a few major-ish things to expect:

    All World 9 levels have been split into two - one part is the level, and the other is the boss. It works the same way that the two Bowser levels do. Some of the bosses have been tweaked a bit as well, especially in World 9.
    9-9's boss has been fixed and improved. You can no longer cheat it by bringing a Lakitu's Shoe in, a midpoint separates both phases, and improvements have been made to the second phase to make it a bit more fulfilling.
    Orange statues no longer hurt you when you stand on them.
    The bonus powerup rooms have returned, but to prevent breaking levels, they can only be accessed from World 9. There's also a hidden surprise for people who collect all 180 stars.
    World 9 is slightly more lenient on star requirements. You still need 177 stars to play 9-9 and all W1-8 stars to get into W9 at all, but the rest of the hub will let you progress easier if you miss a few.
    You can now skip the Main Hub when warping from one world to another (except for when you first open the game). Just hit the switch near the entrance door of any world repeatedly until it shows the number of the world you want, but you still have to meet the same star requirements. A sign in World 1 explains this as well.
    Stars now flash red, yellow, green and blue instead of being just yellow. I felt the star graphic was underwhelming since other stars usually change colors.
    Some stars are placed a little better, and a few insanely elaborate ones are slightly less insanely elaborate, especially in World 9.
    No more 1x1-pixel falling snow anywhere. It's all been fixed.
    Tons of minor modifications and bug fixes throughout the episode.
    A 100% complete save file is included. You don't have to play through the entire thing again just to check out the new stuff.

If you've played this before, there isn't much that will change your experience (other than the 180-star surprise and W9 boss checkpoints). Not much has changed in terms of core design and level length and such. However, anyone looking to replay this or play it for the first time should find the game to be more stable and clean in its overall construction. I'll still provide patches for bugs where needed, but aside from that, I'm pretty much done with this.
Last edited by Chad on 16 Jan 2016, 14:02, edited 2 times in total.