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Glossary:Display wrapper

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Description

As APIs get older, their maintenance or support may eventually deteriorate or outright dropped, which can lead to numerous compatibility and performance issues in older games. To circumvent these and allow older games to be played with as few issues as possible, display API wrappers can be used as a compatibility layer that intercepts instructions at runtime which the game sends using older or obsolete APIs and converts them to a different, but newer, API to make use of more modern alternatives (like newer Direct3D, OpenGL or Vulkan). This process is opaque to the game, leaving it unaware that the display API it was developed for is not the one actually being used. Hence, wrappers most often have the same filename as the game's original wrapper to be properly called on every launch.

General information

The Wrapper Collection Project \ VOGONS
Wrappers - Emulation General Wiki

3dfx / Glide wrappers

Name API versions Wrapping to
dgVoodoo 1, 2, 3 D3D7, 9
dgVoodoo 2 1, 2, 3 D3D11, 12
nGlide 1, 2, 3 D3D9, Vulkan

DirectDraw wrappers

Name API versions Wrapping to
dgVoodoo 2 1-7 D3D11, 12
DxWrapper 1-7 DDraw7 (for 1-6), D3D9
DDrawCompat 1-7 System's DDraw, but optimized
WineD3D 1-7 OpenGL, Vulkan
DXGL 1-7 OpenGL
cnc-ddraw 1-7 GDI, OpenGL, D3D9
Aqrit's DDwrapper ? System's DDraw, but optimized
Required for fixing DirectDraw issues on modern systems.

Direct3D wrappers

Name API versions Wrapping to
dgVoodoo 2 2-9 D3D11, 12
d3d8to9 8 D3D9
DXVK 9-11 Vulkan 1.3[1]
D8VK 8 Vulkan
WineD3D 2-11 OpenGL, Vulkan
DxWrapper 2-8 D3D7 (for 2-6), 9
DDrawCompat 2-7 System's D3D2-7, but optimized
VKD3D-Proton 12 Vulkan
Special K 9 D3D9Ex
DXGL 7 OpenGL
DXUP 9-10 D3D11
d912pxy 9 D3D12
There are no Direct3D 1 and 4 versions. Direct3D started with 2, and 4 was cancelled.

Mantle wrappers

Name API versions Wrapping to
GRVK Vulkan

OpenGL wrappers

Name API versions Wrapping to
ANGLE OpenGL ES (all, depending) OpenGL, D3D9/11, Vulkan, Metal
GL4ES 2 OpenGL ES 2.0
GLDirect 1.4 D3D6/7/8/9
OpenGLOn12 3.3 D3D12
QindieGL 1.1 D3D9
TitaniumGL 1.4 D3D9
VKGL 3.2 Vulkan
zink 4.6 Vulkan

Vulkan wrappers

Name API versions Wrapping to
MoltenVK ? Metal


References