D7VK 1.10 brings even more 2D upgrades for retro Direct3D games on Linux
D7VK 1.10 brings even more 2D upgrades for retro Direct3D games on Linux
Publish Date: 2026-05-20 03:40:00
Source Domain: www.gamingonlinux.com
D7VK continues bringing enhancements for running retro Direct3D Windows games to run nicely on Linux / SteamOS, with a fresh release boosting 2D games. They only just released version 1.9 earlier in May with some huge improvements, and now they’re back with even more. Linux is truly the game preservation platform!
What is D7VK? It’s a Vulkan-based translation layer for Direct3D 3, 5, 6 and 7 to use with the likes of Wine / Proton.
In the release announcement for D7VK 1.10 the creator said:
Even the major 2D improvements in v1.9 weren’t nearly enough for some games, so in v1.10 we’ve managed to squeeze a bit more performance in 2D heavy titles by skipping data copies on surfaces which would have been overwritten anyway.
Sounds logical and easy enough, but believe me when I say that dealing with the myriad of corner cases DDraw has to offer and figuring out when it is safe to skip an operation is hardly an easy task. I was even a bit too optimistic at first and @CkNoSFeRaTU had to pull me back to reality, but thankfully most of my optimizations have survived the test of time.
Not just performance improvements – it also has fixes for various flickering issues, which should also improve input latency. They also implemented a fix for some games having missing backgrounds during pause menus like for Warhammer: Dark Omen pictured below:
Plus other listed fixes and improvements:
- Improved the performance of 2D heavy scenarios by skipping D3D9 image downloads of surfaces which would be overwritten during DDraw blits. This provides minor improvements is most 2D heavy games, and more impactful ones on occasion, such as in Omikron: The Nomad Soul and SCP – Containment Breach.
- Implemented front buffer emulation, fixing missing backgrounds and camera effects in: Escape from Monkey Island, Evolva, Black & White, Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, Tomb Raider Chronicles, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Descent: FreeSpace, FreeSpace 2, Warhammer:…
