Hello!

Since the last post, there is a lot of stuff that has been developed at both the Moondust Project and TheXTech.

In summary:

• The next stable release of the Moondust Project will be released as soon as the tasks list will be completed. After this release, the major rewrite work is planned to begin after this release.
   
• The upcoming stable update of TheXTech 1.3.6 will be released without multi-resolution support yet as this update still needs more testing and polishing, and will come with the next version after the 1.3.6 release, and, possibly, the versioning system will be changed to make it follow the general versioning rules.

(Please see the full version of the post to see details)

New updates and future notes about every case:

Moondust Project

The project is still in active development: now, we are focused on the stabilisation and preparation for the next stable release as there is major rework planned: there is a ton of architectural mistakes that were done initially, causing many problems in the attempts to implement new features to the Editor and other components of the project. However, some of the new features have been successfully added, making life a bit easier.

The upcoming stable release of the toolkit with the old codebase will be the last. After this release, the brand-new codebase will be developed from scratch to resolve problems of the current codebase.

• Editor:
  • New settings for objects (such as "transition type" and standing on the "ground required" flag for warps and new autoscrolling settings from SMBX-38A, etc.)
  • The editor now has an autosave functionality which automatically makes a backup of your currently opened and not saved files in case a power surge or BSoD will happen. So, the result of hours of hard work will survive.
  • Improved the music extra settings functionality.
  • The integrational configuration packages system has been reworked: now, the main.ini will never be overridden by Editor. Instead, Editor will save a config pack-specific setup which will keep all important setups for every configuration package, keeping the data of each configuration package being read-only file system friendly and avoiding possible breakage when moving the portable directory of the game into another place causing the editor to not load anymore.
  • Improved support for TheXTech.
  • Fixed a lot of bugs.
  • Trivia: The codebase created in 2014, has a lot of architectural mistakes due to a lack of experience, and these mistakes seriously affect the scalability of the Editor (the main reason why a lot of new ideas are still not implemented yet). Additionally, there are a lot of performance problems caused by not optimal technologies being used since the Editor's foundation. So, it needs a lot of work to be improved, and therefore, it will be re-created from scratch, using the best parts of the current codebase and making the new architecture focused on scalability and stability.
• Engine:
  • There are not so many changes done except for minor fixes.
  • Trivia: This is the last version that uses the original codebase (created using the reverse engineering of the SMBX game as an attempt to replicate it), and, after the upcoming stable release, it will be completely reconstructed from scratch to make it robust and powerful engine focused on new games and projects without looking back to past bugs.
• Character calibrator:
  • Fixed data compatibility with the SMBX2 which requires all frames presented on the sheet in the saved file.
  • Improved SMBX-38A import/export compatibility.
  • Added support for TheXTech compatibility.
  • The brand-new GUI with non-modal helper windows and mouse manipulations simplify the work on your playable character's settings.
    
    
• Music Player:
  • Added FX toolbox to set various effects such as 3D position, distance, and panning.
  • Reworked the reverb effect using the code based on Freeverb3.
  • Added the SPC echo effect and the ability to import the echo settings from SPC files dropped.
  • Added the multi-music test dialogue to load multiple music files and play them at the same time.
  • Added the multi-SFX test to open multiple SFX files and play them randomly.
    

TheXTech

The upcoming version 1.3.6 will have a lot of updates (currently available at the auto builds), such as improved controllers support, the touchscreen controller working on any non-Android platform, and native support for LunaDLL's Autocode to bring even more old episodes to work on TheXTech.

Unfortunately, the Multi-resolution support won't be added at the 1.3.6 release as it needs more testing and polishing until it gets added officially. However, you still can join the testing process and help us to improve the feature and make it released sooner.

• The controllers' support has been reworked and improved: multiple profiles, more than one button/axes assigned to the same button, editable hotkeys, intuitive controller assignment between players on cooperative/battle games, and the touchscreen controller's general improvement (users can now tweak the touchscreen controller's layout for their convenience). The touchscreen controller now works also on any non-Android platforms (including Windows and Linux devices that feature a touchscreen).
• Added real-time per-section SPC-like echo and reverb effects which can be used by episode creators to improve the atmosphere on their levels.
• Added experimental built-in Editor, made for working on levels and episodes on mobile devices and consoles. Can be used on desktop platforms as well.
• Introducing the native support for LunaDLL Autocode (LunaScript) with the memory emulator, allowing to play more old episodes on TheXTech even on non-x86 processors. Episodes and packed games (such as A2XT, Episode 1: Analog Funk) now officially work on the TheXTech engine.