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"Battlefield: Bad Company 2"
"Battlefield: Bad Company 2" uses the proprietary Frostbite 1.5 engine, created by developer DICE. What separates this engine from others is that it allows full-scale destructibility. It is not uncommon to see entire buildings reduced to mere rubble and ash during the course of a multiplayer match. The Frostbite 1.5 primarily supports DirectX 9 and 10; while DirectX 11 support is included, it is rudimentary and does not take full advantage of everything DX11 has to offer.
DirectX 9
DirectX is a graphics API created by Microsoft that is found on almost every PC video game release. At the time of publication, there are currently 11 versions of DirectX. DirectX 9, released in 2002, was the standard which many video games from 2002 to 2006 used. Even after DirectX 10 was released, many developers and gamers stayed with DX9 due to its stability and the fact that it was fully supported by Windows XP and a large number of drivers.
DirectX 10
DirectX 10, released in 2006, gave developers even more options with how to render graphics. The majority of changes were made to shadows and lighting; because of this, a more powerful computer is needed to run DX10 games as opposed to DX 9. In addition, DX10 is only available for Windows Vista computers and higher; gamers who use Windows XP are automatically reverted down to DirectX 9.0c whenever DX10 is used.
Difference in DX9 and DX10 in "Bad Company 2"
One of the major differences in using DX10 with "Bad Company 2" is that the use of HBAO, Horizon-based Ambient Occlusion, is used throughout the game. HBAO creates what is called a "softer shadow"; a shadow that is more akin to what you would see in real life. In addition to better quality shadows, more shadows are used -- DX9 does not feature shadows on objects in the distance, while DX10 does. Lighting effects, such as the light cast off by a torch, are also more realistic when DX10 is used. Overall, the differences are cosmetic but DX10 creates a more realistic, life-like atmosphere in the game.
Changing from DX9 to DX10
When you first launch "Bad Company 2," the game automatically detects your PC's hardware and assigns a version of DirectX for you to use. You can change this by editing the Settings.ini file in the "MyDocuments\BFBC2" folder. Next to the line, "DxVersion" is a number that corresponds to your DirectX setting: 9, 10, 11 or auto, which is where the game decides which version of DirectX to use. To change your DirectX setting, simply change the number next to the "DxVersion" entry: 9 for DirectX 9, 10 for DirectX10 and 11 for DirectX 11. Save the file and launch "Bad Company 2"; the game now uses the DirectX setting you specified.