X marks the spot: DirectX 7.0 helps you get your game on

Your opponent veers off sharply to the left, evading your gunfire. Catching up shouldn’t be a problem, but you overshoot the turn, and your opponent pulls up to cut you off. Percussive bursts of machine-gun fire tear through your craft, nearly deafening you with the blasts. Your flight stick shakes furiously within your grip just seconds before your jet meets its end in a stomach-dropping explosion. High-octane virtual dogfighting like this is just one example of how DirectX and Windows Me join forces to pull you into the game.

The power of X
DirectX is the Microsoft programming environment that allows game developers to create intense multimedia applications (mostly games) to run on Windows operating systems. Windows Me features DirectX 7.0, the the latest release of this interface. With the ability to automatically detect your computer's hardware capabilities—and adapt accordingly to fit your game—DirectX minimizes the headache that can come with configuring gaming hardware (video cards being the most temperamental offender). DirectX also delivers improved 3-D graphics, ambient sounds, lush music, and a significant boost in overall game performance that results in tougher, smarter enemies.

Graphics that kick
Most people are initially drawn to video games because of the eye-catching graphics and fluid animation. DirectX 7.0 brings higher polygon counts, which smooth the virtual skin that wraps computer-generated characters and objects in the digital realm. These polygons are also rendered faster through DirectX 7.0's advanced support for 3-D accelerators, resulting in incredibly lifelike animation that approaches the realism of the computer-generated characters seen in Hollywood blockbusters. Atmospheric effects, such as rain, fog, or shimmering light, enhance an already intense experience.

The force is strong with this one
DirectX 7.0 has increased support and functionality for force feedback, the feature that allows games to send seismic shockwaves through your gaming controllers and accessories. Flight sticks rattle and recoil when you take virtual damage, and steering wheels and pedals tremble when you skid into a wall.

Feedback can be subtle as well. Your steering wheel can vibrate gently to simulate the effect of driving a car over a cobblestone street or through a patch of gravel. Special flight sticks and yokes can compensate for thrust and G-force effects, adding yet another shade of realism and difficulty. After just one hardcore gaming session with a special controller, you’ll want the force feedback with you—always.

The sound and the music
Footsteps approach softly from behind. Dragonflies buzz circles around your head. A speeding train approaches from the left. DirectX lets you hear audio spatially, creating the illusion that sounds are emanating from all around you. The sound can also move to match the actions of its source, so you’ll know if someone is creeping up behind you—or if a pursuing vehicle has given up chase. Polyphonic music, also supported with DirectX, sculpts an aural atmosphere that enhances your journeys across majestic mountains and through gruesome graveyards.

X-pocalypse now
The MSN Gaming Zone is an excellent arena for you and DirectX to get your game on. Join thousands of other gamers and explore the mystical world of Asheron’s Call, or challenge Jedi Knights and Lords of the Sith in Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II. There are tons of other titles at the MSN Gaming Zone. With most of these games, you can compete with others for free—provided that you already own the game that you wish to play. Other games, such as Allegiance or the aforementioned Asheron's Call, require a small monthly fee.

Windows Me and DirectX 7.0 can plunge you into pure gaming bliss. With all the realism and drama that today's games offer, it’s easy to get lost and never come up for air. If you get involved with the pay-for-play games, just make sure you remember to show up for work and pay your credit card bills—or you and your character may find yourselves wearing a virtual barrel held up by e-suspenders.