DirectPlay Protocol

DirectPlay

 
Microsoft DirectX 9.0 SDK Update (Summer 2003)

DirectPlay Protocol


Multiplayer games require efficient and flexible network messaging services for optimal performance. The Microsoft® DirectPlay® protocol is a transport-layer messaging protocol that is used for all DirectPlay messaging. It provides your application with the messaging support it needs to make everything run smoothly. The DirectPlay protocol includes the following messaging support.

  • Reliable and unreliable delivery of messages
  • Sequential and non-sequential delivery of messages
  • Message fragmentation and reassembly
  • Congestion control
  • Send prioritization
  • Message timeouts
Note  Before DirectPlay 8.1, the DirectPlay protocol was optional, and had to be specified explicitly. Since DirectPlay 8.1, this protocol is used for all DirectPlay messaging.

This document provides a general description of how the Microsoft DirectX® protocol works, and how you can use it in your application.


© 2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.