Talk:DirectDraw

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"DirectDraw is now replaced by Direct2D."

Are there any references to support this? My understanding was that Direct2D is meant as a replacement for GDI, not DirectDraw. In particular:

Direct2D does not support full screen (except on Windows 8).^[1]
Direct2D has primitives for drawing lines, circles, etc. using textured brushes.^[2]
Direct2D supports high-quality (but slow) typography, preferebly with the aid of DirectWrite.^[3] In fact, if you draw text without DirectWrite, Direct2D will use it internally. ^[4]
Direct2D does not give you direct access to the frame buffer, at least not as far as I can tell.
Direct2D doesn't provide accurate access to the pixels; it provides "device independent pixels" which are then scaled to match the actual hardware. ^[5]

Compare to the features for DirectDraw:

Bit-block transfers (blits)
Page flipping and multiple back buffers
Overlays, which is placing one image surface over another on the video display
Alpha source over destination blending, which is blending two surfaces using the source alpha image component
Video YUV pixel formats and color conversion
Direct video access to the frame buffer

Quoted from Microsoft.^[6]

References:

^ Microsoft. "Render Targets Overview"
^ Microsoft. "Brushes Overview"
^ Microsoft. "Text Rendering with Direct2D and DirectWrite"
^ Microsoft. "ID2D1RenderTarget::DrawText method"
^ Microsoft. "Direct2D and High-DPI
^ Microsoft. "DirectDraw"

74.94.163.145 (talk) 15:25, 21 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Well, I guess it's wrong then. Feel free to correct. — Frεcklεfσσt | Talk 17:28, 21 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

You have every right to question this. Nowhere has Microsoft stated that Direct2D "replaces" DirectDraw. As your comparison rightfully shows, these are two very different APIs. Direct2D is intended for people to migrate away from GDI or GDI+.

Ever wondered why there's no games out there that are powered by Direct2D? Even if you strap it to a DXGI Swap Chain, it runs like a horse with three legs. 121.200.5.221 (talk) 13:19, 23 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

"Deterioration of Windows compatibility"

I feel this statement is in need of refinement:

"There has been a deterioration of Windows compatibility with old games that rely upon DirectDraw, with Command & Conquer, Warcraft 2, and Theme Hospital among those affected. In newer Windows versions, some games will refuse to run under a 32-bit bit depth (Dangerous Waters for example), others showing a black screen or glitching when switched out."

It's important to disambiguate where the compatibility issue is originating. DirectDraw 7.0 (and therefore Direct3D 7.0, since they're joined at the hip) itself hasn't deteriorated in compatibility in newer Windows versions, at least not to a degree which effects most games. It's exactly the same API it was in Windows 2000. Some games rely on esoteric DirectDraw features that weren't widely supported by video card drivers. Not Windows, not DirectDraw. Others rely on features that could only be supported up to Windows 8 because of DWM, like Overlays, (yes, Windows). Aside from some niche cases, games will run on contemporary Windows if taken down the correct "compatibility mode" path. In these cases, the DirectDraw title in question will run in 8bpp or 16bp if it demands it -- there is a cornucopia of DirectDraw 7/Direct3D 7 titles on the Wayback Machine that run and those few that don't are not because of DirectDraw itself. I've stepped through some of these games only to watch them hang at a black screen waiting on WaitMessage(). 121.200.5.221 (talk) 13:44, 23 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

[1] Microsoft. "Render Targets Overview"

[2] Microsoft. "Brushes Overview"

[3] Microsoft. "Text Rendering with Direct2D and DirectWrite"

[4] Microsoft. "ID2D1RenderTarget::DrawText method"

[5] Microsoft. "Direct2D and High-DPI

[6] Microsoft. "DirectDraw"

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