TheXTech - RetroBIOS

Type	standalone
Classification	Game engines
Source	https://github.com/TheXTech/TheXTech
Version	unknown
Profiled	2026-10-04
Systems	smbx

Technical notes

C++ reimplementation of the SMBX 1.3 engine. The engine itself ships no game assets; asset packs are searched at startup under every root of AppPathManager::assetsSearchPath(): the root itself (legacy layout), then each directory or archive of its assets/ folder. ref: src/main/asset_pack.cpp:249-378 (s_find_asset_packs), lib/AppPath/private/app_path.cpp:135-181

A directory is scanned when it carries graphics/ui/, an archive when it carries _meta.ini. Two descriptors are recognized: _meta.ini archive pack ([content] engine "TheXTech", platform matching the running target, pack-id) gameinfo.ini directory pack ([game] id, menu images under [android]) A pack under assets/ is ignored when no id could be read; the legacy root pack needs none. ref: src/main/asset_pack.cpp:125-207, 334-339

The pack-selection menu loads an icon, a logo and a background. Only the logo is checked: without it the pack is ignored ("Could not load UI assets from possible asset pack"). ref: src/main/asset_pack.cpp:115-117, 225-233, 282-283

The selected pack is then loaded by GFX_t::load, which fails when one of the UI images it requires from graphics/ui/ is missing. ref: src/gfx.cpp:121-229, src/main/asset_pack.cpp:415-438

TheXTech is content-agnostic. The reference packs that TheXTech releases alongside the engine are the SMBX 1.3 asset pack (thextech-assets-smbx13) and the free Adventures of Demo pack (thextech-assets-adventures-of-demo); any pack that satisfies the structure above runs.

Paths below are written from a search root. TheXTech/ is the name the build gives its user directory (THEXTECH_DIRECTORY_PREFIX) and its system directory; the application directory is searched the same way. ref: CMakeLists.txt:297, lib/AppPath/private/app_path_unix.cpp:46, 103, lib/AppPath/private/app_path.cpp:87

19 files | 3 required, 16 optional | 19 in repo, 0 missing Categories: 19 game data

assets/ optional in repo game_data directory

• Path: TheXTech/assets/
• Source: src/main/asset_pack.cpp:131-181, src/main/asset_pack.cpp:290-300, src/main/asset_pack.cpp:313-319
• Every file directly under assets/ is opened as an archive and kept as a pack when it holds _meta.ini; every subdirectory is kept when it holds graphics/ui/. _meta.ini is read only through the archive prefix: [content] engine must be TheXTech, platform must match the build, pack-id names the pack.

gameinfo.ini optional in repo game_data

• Path: TheXTech/gameinfo.ini
• Source: src/main/asset_pack.cpp:126, src/main/asset_pack.cpp:182-190, src/main/game_info.cpp:143
• Directory pack descriptor. [game] id names the pack, [android] logo/background override the menu images.

thextech.ini optional in repo game_data

• Path: TheXTech/thextech.ini
• Source: lib/AppPath/private/app_path.cpp:98, lib/AppPath/private/app_path.cpp:196-222
• Read from the application directory at startup. [Main] force-portable = true makes that directory the user directory, so settings and saves stay next to the executable.

thextech_128.png optional in repo game_data

• Path: TheXTech/graphics/ui/icon/thextech_128.png
• Source: src/main/asset_pack.cpp:115, src/main/asset_pack.cpp:225
• Pack icon. Loaded during pack scan, result not checked.

MenuGFX2.png required in repo game_data

• Path: TheXTech/graphics/ui/MenuGFX2.png
• Source: src/main/asset_pack.cpp:116, src/main/asset_pack.cpp:226-230, src/main/asset_pack.cpp:334-335, src/gfx.cpp:201
• Main menu logo. Pack ignored if no logo loads; GFX_t::load requires it as well.

background2-2.png optional in repo game_data

• Path: TheXTech/graphics/background2/background2-2.png
• Source: src/main/asset_pack.cpp:117, src/main/asset_pack.cpp:227-233
• Menu background. Loaded during pack scan, result not checked.

graphics/ required in repo game_data directory

• Path: TheXTech/graphics/
• Source: src/main/asset_pack.cpp:274, src/main/asset_pack.cpp:326-327, src/gfx.cpp:121-229, src/load_gfx.cpp:120-123
• graphics/ui/ must exist for a directory to be scanned as a pack; GFX_t::load rejects the pack when a required UI image is missing.

fonts/ optional in repo game_data directory

• Path: TheXTech/fonts/
• Source: src/fontman/font_manager.cpp:270, src/fontman/font_manager.cpp:477-499
• Raster fonts described by *.font.ini files. Without the directory, or with no font in it, the built-in fallback fonts are loaded.

languages/ optional in repo game_data directory

• Path: TheXTech/languages/
• Source: lib/AppPath/private/app_path.cpp:311-315, src/core/language/language_common.cpp:72-83, src/core/language/language_common.cpp:104-122
• thextech_<lang>.json and assets_<lang>.json translations. Without the directory no translation is listed.

sound/ optional in repo game_data directory

• Path: TheXTech/sound/
• Source: src/sound.cpp:1319
• SFX directory, files named by sounds.ini. Game runs without sounds.

music/ optional in repo game_data directory

• Path: TheXTech/music/
• Source: src/sound.cpp:1318
• Music tracks, files named by music.ini.

sounds.ini optional in repo game_data

• Path: TheXTech/sounds.ini
• Source: src/sound.cpp:1322, src/sound.cpp:1348-1354, src/sound.cpp:1363
• SFX index. A message box reports its absence and the game runs without SFX.

music.ini optional in repo game_data

• Path: TheXTech/music.ini
• Source: src/sound.cpp:1321, src/sound.cpp:1341-1347, src/sound.cpp:1356
• Music index. A message box reports its absence and the game runs without default music.

editor.ini optional in repo game_data

• Path: TheXTech/editor.ini
• Source: src/editor/editor_custom.cpp:962, src/editor/editor_custom.cpp:979, src/main/translate.cpp:888
• Item lists of the built-in editor, read when the translation table is built.

intro.lvlx required in repo game_data

• Path: TheXTech/intro.lvlx
• Aliases: intro.lvl
• Source: src/game_main.cpp:172-185, src/game_main.cpp:224-250, src/game_main.cpp:1095-1106
• Level shown behind the main menu. intro.lvl is opened when intro.lvlx is absent, and a level picked from introset/ takes the place of both; with none of the three the game exits on a fatal error.

introset/ optional in repo game_data directory

• Path: TheXTech/introset/
• Source: src/game_main.cpp:194-222, src/game_main.cpp:247, src/main/level_file.cpp:321-339
• Directory of .lvl/.lvlx intro levels; one is picked at random when present, otherwise the root intro level is opened. The Adventures of Demo pack carries none; these 19 levels come from the introset/ of the Nostalgic Paradise pack (Blue Edition 0.2.8b, nostalgic-paradise-stable.7z). A level reads custom graphics from introset/ and from the subfolder named after it (07/, 08/, 10/); every other block, BGO, NPC and background ID they use is present in the Adventures of Demo graphics.

outro.lvlx optional in repo game_data

• Path: TheXTech/outro.lvlx
• Aliases: outro.lvl
• Source: src/game_main.cpp:857-869
• Level shown behind the credits, unless the episode names its own. outro.lvl is opened when outro.lvlx is absent.

worlds/ optional in repo game_data directory

• Path: TheXTech/worlds/
• Source: src/main/menu_main.cpp:361-370
• Episodes shipped with the pack, listed next to the user's worlds directory.

battle/ optional in repo game_data directory

• Path: TheXTech/battle/
• Source: src/main/menu_main.cpp:701-706
• Battle mode levels shipped with the pack.

Generated on 2026-10-10T11:26:02Z