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DirectPlay is part ofMicrosoft'sDirectXAPI. It is a network communication library intended forcomputer game development, although it can be used for other purposes.
DirectPlay is a high-level software interface between applications and communication services that allows games to be connected over theInternet, amodem link, or anetwork. It features a set of tools that allow players to find game sessions and sites to manage the flow of information between hosts and players. It provides a way for applications to communicate with each other, regardless of the underlying online service or protocol. It also resolves many connectivity issues, such asNetwork Address Translation (NAT).
Like the rest of DirectX, DirectPlay runs in COM and is accessed throughcomponent object model (COM)interfaces. By default, DirectPlay usesmulti-threaded programming techniques and requires careful thought to avoid the usual threading issues. Since DirectX version 9, this issue can be alleviated at the expense of efficiency.
DirectPlay is built on theUser Datagram Protocol (UDP) to allow it speedy communication with other DirectPlay applications. It uses TCP and UDP ports 2300 to 2400 and 47624.[1]
DirectPlay Voice was introduced inWindows Me as part of DirectX 7.1 for multiplayer games.[2] It is a voice communications, recording and playback API that allows gamers to usevoice chat in games written to take advantage of the API, through a DirectPlay network transport session itself.
DirectPlay was traditionally one of the components of DirectX that received less attention, but for DirectX version 8 it received a major overhaul and became a relatively lightweight networking library. However, as part of Microsoft's unveiling ofXNA in 2004, Microsoft announced that DirectPlay would bedeprecated in favor ofGames for Windows - Live technology already available onXbox and being ported for use onWindowsPCs. DirectPlay was supported in DirectX DLLs for the lifetime of Microsoft Windows XP. However, starting from the autumn of 2007, the headers and libraries — vital components if developers wanted to develop new programs utilizing the technology — were removed from the DirectX SDK.[citation needed]
InWindows Vista, DirectPlay has been deprecated and DirectPlay Voice and DirectPlay'sNAT Helper have been removed.[3] InWindows 10, DirectPlay is fully deprecated, and modern game development has transitioned to more current technologies like Xbox Live and other networking APIs.[citation needed]
Some alternative libraries which serve the same purpose as DirectPlay