i heard that the directdraws development is dropped after dx7. Does using LPD3DXSPRITE kill the performance in a 2d game or what should i use when doing a 2d app? effects the game-type to this :)? thanks

DirectDraw is still available in newer version, but it will not be updated anymore from version 7.

OTOH you might want to change to Direct3D and use the sprite interface you mentioned. You'll gain awesome accelleration plus alpha blending, rotation and zoom. The setup is a tad different and you have to check for texture sizes/capabilities of the card, but it's worth it.

DirectDraw is supposed to be accellerated as well, but there have been strange slowdowns with newer drivers.

thanks for ur reply and;

oh its good to hear that :)

I'm already using sprites but wanted to know if its good to use them instead of ddraw.