how should i handle input for my game, should i use direct input or the win32 stuff(VK_...)? Does one way have any advantages over the other? I''ve tried both methods and the win32 way seemed much nicer and easier to use, but should i stick with direct input?

thanx for the info , i''ll stick with direct input

I actually have to disagree with Cloxs on this one. I''m not saying that you don''t want to use DirectInput, but I do have to say that it probably won''t make a difference in speed. In fact, unless you''re really hardcore about not getting any messages for the VK_ messages, you''ll still get and Windows will still process every single one of them. The really nice thing about DirectInput is that A) You have control over intervals at which you poll/process input, B) The mouse gives you offsets from the last position, not the actual screen position (basically the mouse doesn''t exist on the screen, but it just tells you that it moved and how much). Another big thing is that repeat rates on different keyboards and such get really tricky to adjust for, and therefore it makes life hell. Just nod and smile, and use DirectInput. Trust me. Even though it''s not actually faster (in fact you lose cycles to it), you''ll get a lot more out of it.