TheXTech Vita

TheXTech (Super Mario Bros X)
TheXTech (Super Mario Bros X)
General
Author	WohlSoft
Type	Platform
Version	1.3.7
License	GPL-3.0
Last Updated	2025/01/21
Links
	Download
	Website
	Source

This is a port of the TheXTech (Super Mario Bros X) for PS Vita.

TheXTech is a port of an old VB6 engine, purely written in C++. It completely reproduces the old SMBX 1.3 engine (aside from it's Editor), includes many of its logical bugs (critical bugs that lead the game to crash or freeze got fixed).

SMBX (Super Mario Bros. X) is a platformer game originally published in 2009. The game is a fan game based on the Mario series. Game mechanics combines such games of the series as: Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World. There are also in SMBX elements from new games in the series and from other games like Metroid and Legend of Zelda.

Features

Five playable characters including: Peach, Toad, and Link.
Over 60 cleverly designed levels in the two default episodes.
Easy to use, real-time level editor with thousands of objects to choose from.
Both classic and brand new power ups such as Yoshi and The Billy Gun.
Two player co-op action with an intelligent camera that splits and combines.
An intense battle mode that will leave you coming back for more.
SMBX was made open source by its author Andrew Spinks in 2020, and then ported to C++ by developer Wohlstand, under the name TheXTech.

Installation

Note: While possible to move all assets over FTP, it's much faster and more reliable to mount your Vita over USB or move your Vita2SD to your computer and copy that way.

Before you install, ensure you have extracted libshacccg.suprx (you can use ShaRKBR33D to install).

Created a folder named TheXTech in the ux0:data folder (ux0:data/TheXTech/).

Download and unpack the Assets archive (.ini, .lvl and all the folders) into the TheXTech directory.

Then install thextech.vpk.

Controls

D-Pad - Movement

Cross/Circle - Jump

Square/Triangle - Run

Start - Pause

Select - Drop item

Screenshots

Known issues

Graphics masks may not currently work for a variety of reasons ranging from:
- Lack of original masks in graphics directory
- Lack of masks found in level or world directory
- Lack of RAM, etc. etc.
Do not change your input device in settings. Remapping buttons is ok, but if you change input it will be changed to a non-existent keyboard device. If you do this, just force exit the game and settings won’t be saved.
Mask based graphics (eg: npc-1.gif & npc-1m.gif) currently are not working. The logic is there, but currently the images are not combining.
Slowdowns may happen.
Some Midi tracks may kill performance (specifcially: using the libOPNMidi backend. this is pretty rare and midi support through libOPN and libADL are all relatively new to SMBX).
Cheats currently don’t work.

Changelog

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)

1.3.6.6

Fix vanilla bug where vehicle could be vulnerable if player entered it during AltJump (requires frame perfect down press), guarded by compat flag "fix-vehicle-altjump-bug" (@ds-sloth).
Fix vanilla bug where vehicle could not be exited if player entered it while holding AltJump key, guarded by compat flag "fix-vehicle-altjump-lock" (@ds-sloth).
Fixed the problem when a touch screen is not detected on some Android devices (@Wohlstand).
Fix minor bug that caused certain configurations on macOS to crash on startup (@ds-sloth).
Fix Wii U bug where resizing the game screen could cause the game to crash (@ds-sloth).
Fix TheXTech 1.3.6.1 crash caused when a pet mount is eating the last NPC in the level and the eaten NPC is killed (@ds-sloth).
Fixed Wii U bug where game quits into the black screen instead of the Wii U's main menu when game started from the Aroma (@Wohlstand).
Fix TheXTech 1.3.6.1 inaccuracy allowing the player to dismount a vehicle when blocked by an NPC (@ds-sloth).
Fix TheXTech 1.3.6.1 bug where conveyor belts would sometimes not activate correctly (@ds-sloth).
Fix TheXTech 1.3.6.1 OpenGL bug where the shadow effect interacted inaccurately with bitmasked textures (@ds-sloth).
Fix TheXTech 1.3.6 bug where it was impossible to unpause while holding an item (@ds-sloth, thanks to SimplyMav for the report).
Fix TheXTech 1.3.6.1 bug where GIF masks for sizable block 261 were not loaded (@ds-sloth).
Fix TheXTech 1.3.6.1 bug where SMBX level version autodetection did not work for platforms (note that this logic will be fully removed in 1.3.7) (@ds-sloth).
Fix TheXTech 1.3.6.1 bug where NPCs on hidden layers were incorrectly allowed to chain-activate. (The bug affected the outro scene of Dynamite Grotto in SRW2.) (@ds-sloth).
Add workaround for TheXTech 1.3.6.1 Modern Mode inaccuracy where NPC clipping did not match SMBX 1.3. (This bug affected the same scene.) (@ds-sloth).
Fix vanilla bug where player can get softlocked if hit by a grabbable NPC while digging dirt, guarded by compat flag "fix-player-stuck-on-dirt" (Classic Mode) (@ds-sloth).

Complete changelog.

External links

Official website - https://wohlsoft.ru/projects/TheXTech/
GitHub - https://github.com/TheXTech/TheXTech/
GitHub - https://github.com/suicvne/TheXTech/tree/wip-vita-support
VitaDB - https://www.rinnegatamante.eu/vitadb/#/info/727