TheXTech v1.3.7: The biggest New Year Gift for everybody!

This is a large update. We worked long and hard on this update, and we finally ready to present this big update for you all! This update will be the biggest in TheXTech's history and features a huge set of features, bugfixes, and improvements.

Thank you to @0lhi who served on our core development team for design and quality assurance from version v1.3.4 (2021) to v1.3.7 (2025). His contributions are much appreciated.

Most important changes

  • Widescreen and small-screen support, done right. No hacks, no editing luna.lua, no broken spawns. Play all of your favorite SMBX 1.3 content at your device's native resolution for a smooth and polished "remaster" experience, while the engine keeps track of which important items would have been onscreen (or offscreen!) in SMBX 1.3.
  • Classic playstyle for classic content. Disable TheXTech's unnecessary bugfixes and new features to play your SMBX 1.3 content the way its authors intended it, or go totally Vanilla (at your own risk).
  • An options overhaul. No more editing thextech.ini, every single game setting can be changed in the new in-game options menu.
  • Refined player select. A huge thank you to Savby for reimagining our text-based player select menus with an intuitive and colorful interface that feels right at home on your TV.
  • Multiple asset packs. TheXTech is good for more than just SMBX, and now you can conveniently switch between asset packs within the engine itself. Just add your extra asset packs to the assets subdirectory in your TheXTech folder, and switch by holding select at the main menu.
  • Beta 4P support. Ever wanted to play Battle Mode with 3 of your best frenemies? Now you can! This version introduces shared and split screen 4-player co-op and split screen 4-player battle. Please share your feedback and experiences with us so we can make it better!

All details and downloads are on the project page!

See complete description by clicking the "Read more..." link.



Full changelog for 1.3.7

New features:

The multi-res system

  • Added support for different display resolutions (@ds-sloth)
  • Allow event logic NPCs to consider SMBX 1.3 camera when activating, guarded by compat flag modern-npc-camera-logic (@ds-sloth)
  • Add npc.txt attribute "usedefaultcam"; set this to "1" to force NPCs to use the event logic camera to activate and "0" to force them to use the visible camera (@ds-sloth)
  • Add compat.ini setting "dynamic-camera-logic" which may be disabled to force a level to use the 800x600 camera for all logic (@ds-sloth)
  • Added internal support for more than 2 cameras (@ds-sloth)
  • Added backdrop for levels smaller than the screen at graphics/ui/Backdrop.png (@ds-sloth)
  • Added alternative format for world map frame with better support for various display resolutions (@ds-sloth)

Menus

  • Redesigned character select screen for multiplayer game start and player setup (@Savbyn, @ds-sloth)
  • Overhaul the Main Menu and in-game Options menu with support for editing all "thextech.ini" options (@ds-sloth)
  • Add "Modern", "Classic", and "Vanilla" playstyles which determine which bugfixes and gameplay updates are applied (@ds-sloth, @0lhi)
  • Add ability to start speedrun in-game by pressing Select when making a new game save (@ds-sloth, @0lhi)
  • Add ability to change last warp resume setting on hub worlds. This allows playing episodes incompatible with this behavior in Modern Mode. (@ds-sloth, @0lhi)

Asset packs system

  • Game looks for extra asset packs in the assets/ subdirectory of the user and system directories (@ds-sloth)
  • Add ability to specify asset pack by ID in the command line (as well as by path) (@ds-sloth)
  • Add ability to switch asset pack at main menu screen by holding select button (@ds-sloth)

New content

  • Added full game and in-game editor support for world map sections that limit screen view (@ds-sloth)
  • Add compat flag "disable-spin-jump", which causes the AltJump key to map to a normal jump, but still allows players to dismount. The flag replaces a hack used to force-disable the key in Superb Demo Sisters. (@ds-sloth)
  • Added support for on-exit warp event. (@Wohlstand)
  • Move the [intro] and [outro] sections of gameinfo.ini to [activity-setup] in the compat.ini file for the intro/outro levels, for per-level configuration of these settings. Setting the fields via gameinfo.ini is deprecated and may be removed in future asset pack formats. (@ds-sloth, @Wohlstand)
  • Added support for episodes to provide custom main menu intros. (@Wohlstand)
  • Added support for episodes to provide custom credits level. (@Wohlstand)
  • Allow customization of TTF colour of fonts (@ds-sloth)

Editor

  • Add ability to trigger event layer smoke in the in-game editor (@ds-sloth)
  • Add ability to edit BGO sort layers and offset in the in-game editor (@ds-sloth)
  • Add ability to resize placed items, section boundaries, and event section boundaries in the editor (@ds-sloth)

Cheats / codes

  • Added "opensesame" world map cheat to unlock paths from level (@ds-sloth)
  • Added code "logicscreen" to view camera used by event logic NPCs (@ds-sloth)
  • Add cheat "edityourfriends" to experiment with compatibility settings (@ds-sloth)
  • Add cheats "4shared" and "4split" to test 4-player shared / split screen modes (@ds-sloth)

Other features

  • Add tracking for medals collected in levels (@ds-sloth)
  • Added smooth path unlock animations at the world map (@ds-sloth)
  • Sounds now get quieter when they are further from the screen (@ds-sloth)
  • Add hints system to the loading and pause screens (@ds-sloth)
  • Add new item drop system, used by default in Modern Mode at low resolutions (@ds-sloth, @ChristianSilvermoon, @0lhi)
  • Add option to always use shared or split screen in 2P (@ds-sloth)
  • Add ability (beta status) to play >2P mode with shared or split screen (@ds-sloth)
  • Implemented the in-game assert failures will be shown as in-game message box until perform an emergency close on platforms that doesn't have SDL's message box (@Wohlstand)
  • Update level loading error screen to be more informative (@ds-sloth)
  • Add world loading error screen (@ds-sloth)
  • 3DS: add advanced option "Inaccurate GIFs" to allow playing in 3D on levels with GIFs (@ds-sloth)

Other engine changes

  • Save the number of medals / stars that exist in levels to speed up subsequent loads (@ds-sloth)
  • Internal change: added draw plane system to track different object groups' scene depth (@ds-sloth)
  • Note: screen-space autocode draws now occur in the HUD plane instead of the level plane (@ds-sloth)
  • Drop/add screen renamed to "Player Setup"
  • In modern gameplay, the main menu now has a single "Play Episode" item instead of separate 1P/2P items
  • COMPATIBILITY CHANGE: remove automatic version targeting for pre-SMBX 1.3 content (@ds-sloth)
  • Very long SFX are now played from disk to save memory (@ds-sloth)
  • Made some internal memory optimizations to the Block and NPC objects, saving 360KB RAM (@ds-sloth)
  • GIF recorder now turns grey and skips frames when recording is slower than gameplay (@ds-sloth)
  • Update TheXTech's logic for climbing moving fences (@ds-sloth)
  • Change cheat "shadowstar" to use a 75% black tint (instead of 100% as in SMBX 1.3) for visibility against dark level backgrounds (@0lhi, @ds-sloth)
  • Update TheXTech userdata locations to system-native locations on new installs. (@ds-sloth, @Wohlstand)
  • Speedrun timer no longer permanently stops following initial game win, allowing speedruns of postgame content (@ds-sloth)
  • In Modern and Classic modes, now allow negative lives instead of game over (@ds-sloth, @0lhi)
  • Added support for error boxes at the Wii U to explicitly show reasons of errors to users (@Wohlstand)
  • System message boxes will have their unique style that is different from the in-game one. (@Wohlstand)
  • Add option (on-by-default) for gamepads to use simple editor controls. Prevents getting locked in the editor. (@ds-sloth)
  • Improve the performance of levels with many climbable NPCs (@ds-sloth)
  • Refine GIF bitmask detection and fallback algorithm (@ds-sloth)
  • 3DS/Wii: speed up graphics loading code (@ds-sloth)
  • TheXTech-exclusive events are now processed at the end of the frame they are triggered in (@ds-sloth)
  • 3DS: display system and video memory usage in Debug Info screen (@ds-sloth)
  • Add support for TTF fonts up to 24x24 (@ds-sloth)

New vanilla bugfixes

  • Fix thrower vertical position logic in split-screen, guarded by compat flag modern-npc-camera-logic (@ds-sloth)
  • Fix SMBX 1.3 bug where camera would not track respawning player, guarded by compat flag multiplayer-pause-controls (@ds-sloth)
  • Fix ghost, boss, and other NPC target player selection, guarded by compat flag "fix-multiplayer-targeting" (@ds-sloth)
  • Fix vanilla peculiarity where plants would make a sound when dying in a no-turn-back level, guarded by compat flag "fix-visual-bugs" [Modern Mode] (@ds-sloth)
  • Fix vanilla peculiarity where the speed of blocks attached to an NPC would not be fully reset when the NPC dies, guarded by compat flag "fix-attlayer-reset" [Modern Mode] (@ds-sloth)
  • Fix vanilla peculiarity where some held NPCs would appear to move on the player's hands / feet, guarded by compat flag "fix-visual-bugs" [Modern Mode] (@ds-sloth)
  • Fix vanilla editor bug where NPC spawn logic might be inaccurate on level test (@ds-sloth)
  • Fix vanilla peculiarity where medals were sometimes not collected when killed, guarded by "fix-medal-kill" [Modern Mode] (@ds-sloth, thanks to @Superbloxen for the report)

TheXTech bugfixes

  • Fix TheXTech 1.3.6.1 bug where level fadeout did not properly occur on fail in 2P mode (@ds-sloth)
  • Fix TheXTech 1.3.6.1 peculiarity where a player could reach an inaccessible location by respawning while another player was scrolling between warps (@ds-sloth)
  • Editor: fix TheXTech 1.3.6 bug where level test might incorrectly start following text input (@ds-sloth)
  • Fix TheXTech 1.3.6 bug where an item could be cloned by changing characters during powerup animation (@ds-sloth)
  • Fix TheXTech 1.3.6.1 OpenGL bug where a mask larger than its texture could be drawn incorrectly (@ds-sloth, thanks to @AntonioGZZ96 for the report)
  • Fix TheXTech 1.3.6.1 inaccuracy affecting "Endless Exploration" where levels started via an invalid warp point could not be played (in SMBX 1.3, the warp point is ignored) (@ds-sloth)
  • Fix TheXTech 1.3.1 bug where many max-ID custom GFX were not loaded (including player-5 map sprites) (@ds-sloth, thanks to @AntonioGZZ96 for the report)
  • Fix TheXTech v1.3.6 editor bug where NPC properties could change when their layer was hidden. (@ds-sloth, thanks to @cre8iveexercise for the report)
  • Fix TheXTech v1.3.6.1 Android bug where the screen would be black after switching applications. (@ds-sloth)
  • Fix TheXTech 1.3.5.1 bug where the lower half of a player's sprite could be shown behind a shoe / sack (@ds-sloth)
  • Fixed the inability to close error LunaScript parse error box on Android when file contains too long lines (@Wohlstand)
  • Fixed crash on attempt to execute the "SetHits" and "AllFace" LunaScript commands (@Wohlstand)
  • Wii: fix TheXTech 1.3.6.1 inaccuracy in how very small GIF bitmasks are rendered (@ds-sloth)
  • Fix TheXTech 1.3.6.1 bug where player-dependent event text could be inaccurate if Autocode cancelled a different event (@ds-sloth)
  • Fix TheXTech 1.3.1 inaccuracy where a vanilla bug failed to replicate. This bug caused a pending event to be overwritten when two events triggered in a single frame. The bugfix now has compat flag "fix-event-swap-bug" (@ds-sloth)
  • Fixed the random crash and memory damaging during the load process (@Wohlstand)
  • Fix TheXTech 1.3.6 bug where some controls profiles could not be deleted. (@ds-sloth, thanks to @0lhi for the report)

TheXTech v1.3.7-beta bugfixes

  • Fix TheXTech 1.3.7-beta visual glitch when the vanilla cam hotkey was pressed during the level intro scene (@ds-sloth)
  • Fix TheXTech 1.3.7-beta bug where vanilla cam was not reset before entering credits (@ds-sloth)
  • 3DS/Wii: fix TheXTech 1.3.7-beta bug where levels with 101 layers/events could not load (@ds-sloth)
  • Hints: fix the graphical display of the surfing hint (@ds-sloth)
  • Refine the placement of HUD items at low resolutions (@ds-sloth)
  • Don't allow pressing the vanilla cam hotkey during a camera pan event (@ds-sloth)
  • Fix TheXTech 1.3.7-beta bug where battle levels could be created even if the asset pack disables battle mode (@ds-sloth, thanks to @LoveBodhi for the report)
  • Fix TheXTech 1.3.7-beta bug where it was impossible to enter speedrun mode using the main menu interface (@ds-sloth, thanks to @0lhi for the report)
  • Fix TheXTech 1.3.7-beta bug where the modern lives count was shown at the title screen for vanilla gamesaves (@ds-sloth, thanks to @0lhi for the report)
  • Fix TheXTech 1.3.7-beta defect where it was not clear whether vanilla cam was activated at high resolutions (@ds-sloth, thanks to @0lhi for the report)
  • Fix TheXTech 1.3.7-beta inaccuracy in which an NPC that moves into a section during gameplay might fail to spawn (this affected the final boss of Valtteri's Island - Revisited) (@ds-sloth)
  • Fix TheXTech 1.3.7-beta bug where an assertion failure could be triggered when a player went offscreen in shared screen multiplayer (@ds-sloth)
  • Ensure that the player setup menu always remembers the most recently selected characters (@ds-sloth, thanks to @0lhi for the suggestion)
  • Fix TheXTech 1.3.7-beta bug where the logical screen could desync after dropping a player (@ds-sloth)
  • Fix TheXTech 1.3.7-beta bug where menus could become unresponsive if a player had been dropped while holding a button. (@ds-sloth, thanks to @0lhi for the report)
  • Fix TheXTech 1.3.7-beta defect where character forced using Konami code would be lost on menu quit (@ds-sloth)
  • Fix TheXTech 1.3.7-beta bug where the player start points were incorrect for some content. This affected Adventures of Demo. (@ds-sloth)
  • Fix TheXTech 1.3.7-beta bug where hitting Escape at the pause menu could return to menu (@ds-sloth, thanks to @sl4cer for the report)
  • Fix TheXTech 1.3.7-beta PortMaster peculiarity where the load screen would be drawn too small (@ds-sloth)
  • Fix TheXTech 1.3.7-beta Wii bug where the no-assets screen would not display correctly (@ds-sloth)
  • Fix TheXTech 1.3.7-beta Wii bug where unconverted UI assets could not be loaded (@ds-sloth)
  • Fix TheXTech 1.3.7-beta bug where the controller preview on the controls menu was inaccurate (@ds-sloth)

Known issues

  • Audio may be choppy on Old 3DS.
  • Texture load stutter is present on Wii.
  • The screen may slightly judder during section resizes on 3DS and Wii.
  • Closing the game using the Home button or Power button occasionally causes crashes on 3DS.
  • The viewport is sometimes incorrect on Vita.
  • On Windows 10 when running OpenGL with some ~2006 Intel iGPU on laptop, game would crash (possibly fixed).

Screenshots

Posted 01/21/2025 02:36 by Wohlstand


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