SMBX: What's the current situation

[Fridj]

Hello everybody, I'm writing this post since there seems to be some degree of confusion about the whole smbx thing. I would just like to have this things straight , because I feel that if someone new would approach smbx for the first time right now, he would be kind of confused on what to do exactly to have the latest build possible and everything up to the current development... I know it's confusing for me, and i've been following the forum (even if as unregistered user) since 2012

So...well I'll start with some questions that I hope someone of you will kindly reply.

I want to play SMBX. I have never installed it before. Where should I go?

I heard about PGE engine, and editor. Should I install it in order to play SMBX if I want a somewhat stable experience or it's not ready yet to be played smoothly? Are there some episodes made entirely with it yet, and if so where can I go to find them? And if I have only SMBX 1.3, would I be able to play those episodes alright?

I know LunaLua has been implemented for some time now. I have to download it to play some episodes? what would happen if I played episodes built around it , but I don't have LunaLua?
Where I can find it and how has to be installed?

Isn't it there a full installation package that installs everything I need to in order to play every episode on the SMBX forums right off the bat ?

I heard of SMBX 2.0 . Is it just PGE with mario sprites? Can I download and play it fine yet? Where can I find episodes for it? I read that episodes for SMBX 2.0 can't be uploaded on the forums, so where should I look? Would you recommend installing the new version right now, if I would like to play SMBX?

There's even SMBX 1.4.1 and 1.4.2 circulating on the internet right now. What are those? I couldn't find much infos here in the forum. Are episodes made on this forum compatible?

As you can see, maybe questions like these most likely have already been replied in the forums, but the information is all shattered between each individual post and it isn't as accessible as one might think. If you could reply, maybe all this confusion can be cleared once for all, even for future members. Thank you!

[Magician]

SMBX has a built in editor. PGE is a differently structured program acting as an alternative to SMBX's built-in editor. Many believe PGE is a superior editor, but as far as I'm certain right now it's just that—an editor. You still need SMBX itself to play episodes.

For 1.3.0.1, click here. As far as I'm aware that's the version this forum officially supports, but you'll find a beta for 2.0 which will (very likely) be supported when it is completed. If you look in the episodes forum I'm very certain that any episode requiring anything other than the standard 1.3.0.1 will inform you up front what you need to play it.

EDIT: Oh, and the SMBX 1.4 stuff is an offshoot creation. Don't be fooled by the name. It's not a version update to SMBX; the person who made it has no relation to the developer and the program in question was built entirely separately from SMBX. Arguably, it really isn't SMBX at all, but a non-malicious but perhaps misguided (that part's just my opinion) attempt to support the "SMBX" brand. I see no harm in the developer continuing to support and update SMBX 1.4 for what it is, but honestly I think we should all just stop calling it "SMBX 1.4" because that would help with the confusion.

[RudeGuy]

You should download SMBX 2.0, even if it's in beta. It has PGE and LunaLua included and there are some great episodes that were made with that version.
SMBX 1.4.x isn't really a version of SMBX, it was made from scratch. It isn't supported here (but you can post SMBX 1.4.x levels in the PGE forum), but I've heard it'll be soon.

[Yoshi021]

You can go here to learn more.
http://wohlsoft.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=1101

[Fridj]

Thanks to everybody for the information! Just one other thing... is PGE Engine going into smbx 2.0 whenever it'll be completed? Or is it going to be its own separate thing? The fact is, I thought smbx couldn't be modified since the source code is not public... so smbx is technically done, with no future updates, and that's why wohlstand came in and tried to rebuild the thing from the ground up. How come we now have smbx 2?!

[Emral]

2.0's EDITOR is PGE and all the features that will be added to 2.0 can be placed in the PGE editor with the 2.0 config pack. As for the engine, it's likely going to become its own, much more advanced thing. There's a realistic chance that it will replace the current engine at some point in the future, though.

[Shadow Yoshi]

Hi Fridj, welcome to the forums. Hopefully this can answer your questions:

- In 2013, a user named Kil created a modification for SMBX 1.3 called LunaDLL, which made more things possible.
- In early 2014, we released SMBX 1.3.0.1, which provided some minor fixes to graphics and other stuff.
- In 2014, a user named Kevsoft developed an extension called LunaLua, which allows Lua scripting capabilities in SMBX.
- Also in 2014, a user named Wohlstand was developing (and still is) an engine/editor called PGE. PGE's editor is stable and can edit SMBX levels, and is the preferred editor for many in the SMBX community.
- In 2015, we announced a new version of SMBX that for the moment is dubbed "2.0". This program is being developed by Horikawa Otane and her team and is based off of the LunaLua extension, with additional editing to the program and inclusion of PGE as the default editor. This version is currently in beta.
- Separate from all of this, a developer named 5438A38A (commonly called 38A) created a version of SMBX that is often referred to as "1.4.[x]" or "38A". This was made from scratch, to my knowledge, but can open and edit levels from SMBX 1.3.0.1, 1.3, and probably prior versions too.

All of these versions, including the PGE editor, will soon be supported here and up for download on the SMBX website.

[Hoeloe]

This was made from scratch, to my knowledge, but can open and edit levels from SMBX 1.3.0.1, 1.3, and probably prior versions too.

It is worth noting that doing this will automatically convert the levels into the 38A format, if I remember correctly, which will prevent them from being opened again in most other versions of the game.

[Yoshi021]

This was made from scratch, to my knowledge, but can open and edit levels from SMBX 1.3.0.1, 1.3, and probably prior versions too.

It is worth noting that doing this will automatically convert the levels into the 38A format, if I remember correctly, which will prevent them from being opened again in most other versions of the game.

It can still be opened in PGE and be reverted back to 1.3, as long as you didn't add any 1.4 elements.

[Enchlore]

All of these versions, including the PGE editor, will soon be supported here and up for download on the SMBX website.

Wait, including SMBX-38A or did I interpret that wrong?

[Shadow Yoshi]

Yup, that's included.

[mariofan 64]

All of these versions, including the PGE editor, will soon be supported here and up for download on the SMBX website.

ooh, so pge's lvlx and wldx levels and episodes will be supported as well? gotta wonder where in the forum those'll be posted

[Wohlstand]

All of these versions, including the PGE editor, will soon be supported here and up for download on the SMBX website.

ooh, so pge's lvlx and wldx levels and episodes will be supported as well? gotta wonder where in the forum those'll be posted

PGE's LVLX/WLDX are own file formats and usually for PGE Engine only. While PGE Engine in alpha development, is not recommended to use it for production, just use it to test it itself. You can use LVLX format just to keep customized BGO's order priority (which needed to force background BGOs be foreground) and every time you want test level in original SMBX, resave it into SMBX64 LVL again. Is a some works to add support of them into LunaLUA to allow open them in the regular game, because there are allows storing much more data (which can be handled by LunaLUA) than old LVL format which is super-limited. However PGE Editor saves extra meta-file for some data (position bookmarks, and later metric tools and custom items) that handling by PGE Editor but never using in SMBX Engine. By default PGE saves SMBX-64 Level and World file formats (compatible with 1.3), but also it is able to save levels for older SMBX versions (even for SMBX 1.0!!!). No matter if you are used SMBX-38A's features in levels, you still be able open those levels in PGE Editor with any config pack, then remove all "dummy" elements (marked as "unregistered") to don't crash SMBX 1.3 with them, and level will work in any SMBX

[Shadow Yoshi]

Anything made with PGE's actual engine will probably end up in the PGE thread or the Video Games forum, since that technically isn't SMBX, but we're not at that point yet.

[Emral]

Anything made with PGE's actual engine will probably end up in the PGE thread or the Video Games forum, since that technically isn't SMBX, but we're not at that point yet.

By that technicality, 1.4.* isn't "SMBX" either, because it's built from the ground up and there are differences in how the engines are built.

[Shadow Yoshi]

No, different technicality. PGE's engine aims to be general (platforming) rather than specific (a version of SMBX).

[PixelPest]

No, different technicality. PGE's engine aims to be general (platforming) rather than specific (a version of SMBX).

Well, all of the default elements are SMBX ones...

[Wohlstand]

No, different technicality. PGE's engine aims to be general (platforming) rather than specific (a version of SMBX).

Well, all of the default elements are SMBX ones...

Internally PGE contains no elements, all "default elements" are provided by config pack. Why I wish make PGE be general platforming instead specifying to SMBX universe:

• Keep heart, root, foundation, core, and everything if any copyright shit will happen again with SMBX and it's stuff
• I inspired by Talkhaus when there are tried to make new non-Mario game on SMBX Engine even it's super limited and requires a lot of workarounds include LunaLUA to seize almost full control over it. Talkhaus must have own engine without any workarounds and alien hacks over legacy and/or illegal stuff.
• Even Mario universe may bother because time, PGE itself allows make absolutely any game and with it's lua API it allows creating different gameplay and unique algorithms of everything

In result I have compatible and flexible editor and WIP game engine which will completely implement vanilla feature set to allow easier port of old episodes to it with less game-play differences, but same physics as original.