Day of Defeat (Game)

Day of Defeat

GAME » on May 1, 2003

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A team-based class-based World War II multiplayer first-person shooter originally released as a total conversion to Half-Life in 2000, then acquired by Valve and released subsequently as a full retail product in 2003.

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Overview

Day of Defeat is a World War II (Concept) multiplayer first-person shooter developed by Valve and published by Activision (Company) for the PC (Platform) on May 1, 2003. It was later published digitally by Valve for their Steam (Concept) platform (and, in 2013, updated for Mac (Platform) and Linux (Platform) support).

Set in the Western European Theatre of World War II, players are split into two forces (the "Allies", which is either the U.S. or British Armies, and the "Axis", which is the German Wehrmacht) and must complete objectives (usually capturing strategic zones in a Conquest-like scenario) in infantry-based combat (where players can choose between different classes, each with their own class-based and faction-based weaponry).

In similar vein to Counter-Strike, Day of Defeat was originally a total conversion for Half-Life (developed between the years 2000 and 2002) that was acquired by Valve and released as a full retail product. After some updates to the game (including the infamous switch from WON server support to Steam server support), the game was later remade (in 2005, by the original developers then under Valve) into the Source engine as Day of Defeat: Source.

History

Beginnings As a Mod

A Merging of Ideas

After the release of Half-Life in late 1998 a large modding scene started to develop around Valve's game thanks in part to a bonus CD which included the "Worldcraft" level editing program. In the spring of 1999 Valve released Team Fortress Classic (Game) as a precursor to what was then the thought-to-be-upcoming Team Fortress 2 (Game). It would inspire modders even further to develop incredible maps and models.

It was around this time in the spring of 1999 that John Shull (Person) (known as Fuzz to the DoD community) would start working as a map maker for a new Half-Life mod named World War Three. When the other two members of the WW3 team decided to focus on their studies and give up the mod they gave everything they currently had to Shull. Shull brought Jon Kaczmarski (Pr0fit) on board to continue work on the codebase.

Simultaneous with these developments there was another modder named Little Squirrel who had begun work on a World War II mod named Day of Defeat. Squirrel was merely a coder and did not have any map makers or artists. This is the summer of 1999 and two men named Minh Le (Person) and Jess Cliffe (Person) are releasing the first beta of a small mod named Counter-Strike. Their instantaneous success inspires many modders. Shull, recognising that he needs a more limited scope and a full time coder, and Squirrel realising he needs map makers and artists, decide to merge World War Three and Day of Defeat into one mod.

Alpha and Beta

Class selection during alpha

The Day of Defeat team was picking up steam rapidly and added several new members to prepare their alpha product; Agent (models, animations), Thunder Weenie and Wheels (historians and sound), Kamikaze (textures and maps), and Axis (code). Axis and Thunder Weenie would see the project through all the way to the Valve days. Alphas 1, 2, and 3 were privately tested in early 2000.

The general public was first able to get their hands on Day of Defeat with Alpha 4, released on Apr. 8, 2000. The alphas only had four classes available, all with different running speeds; Support, Sergeant, Sniper, and Rifleman. There were only a few maps available and most of the art was temporary. Alpha 6 was the next public release on Sep. 27, 2000. It would see bug updates and tweaks through three more versions ending with Alpha 6.8 on Nov. 6, 2000.

The team worked hard on refining the alpha and getting a solid grouping of maps together for the first beta release on Jan. 12, 2001. Iconic maps such as dod_caen, dod_omaha, and dod_snowtown made their debut in Beta 1. There were ten maps now in all and Day of Defeat had quickly started to gain popularity as a significant mod. Several team members left to focus on college, but the core group actually grew slowly with the additions of Waldo (who would eventually take over), Mugs, and Das.

Beta 1 had several iterations through the rest of 2001, but Beta 2.0 was where the modern Day of Defeat started to come to fruition. Beta 2 was released to the public on Feb. 6, 2002. It did away with the variable run speeds and added several new classes. New sniper rifles, machine guns, weapon sway, and recoil were also first introduced here. Most of the well known Day of Defeat maps made their first appearance in Beta 2 or 2.1 (May, 2002), including; dod_avalanche (Location), dod_anzio (Location), dod_overlord, dod_thunder, and dod_zafod.

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Beta 3.1

In March of 2002, Valve unveiled Steam (Concept) which was meant to be exclusively a digital distribution platform. Half-Life mods would continue to use WON, for the time being. Beta 3 was released on Jul. 11, 2002 and would be the final series of beta for the Day of Defeat team. It finalised a lot of the class structures, added para_ maps, and introduced famous maps such as para_glider and para_kraftstoff. Beta 3.1 would be the final release from the mod team as amateurs on Aug. 8, 2002.

Hired by Valve and Moved to Steam

Picked Up

From late 2002 to summer 2003 the remaining mod team would be hired by Valve to create a retail version of Day of Defeat, much as Valve had previously done with Team Fortress (Franchise) and Counter-Strike. The mod was still free to people who owned Half-Life and moved to version 1.0 on May 1, 2003. A boxed copy of Day of Defeat hit store shelves on May 6, 2003, distributed by Sierra (Activision-Vivendi). This release saw an overhaul of the graphics to be more on par with a full retail game and a stronger set of maps. The community for Day of Defeat grew exponentially during this period.

Steam and the End of Development

Retail DoD

The much awaited version 1.1 caused some outrage when it was announced that Valve would not be releasing a WON-based version of 1.1, but only a Steam version. At the time Steam (in beta) was very unstable and not liked by many gamers. It was seen as a slight against Day of Defeat, and eventually Counter-Strike as well (for version 1.6). Steam improved, though, and after an initially rocky start, the community embraced 1.1 on Steam and abandoned the old WON servers of 1.0.

Day of Defeat would see two final releases, 1.2 and 1.3 finishing by Jul. 7, 2004. The game had a dedicated competitive scene by now and had gained a following about a third of the size of Counter-Strike's. The remaining members of the original mod team would start work at Valve on Day of Defeat: Source (initially intended to ship with Half-Life 2 and Counter-Strike: Source). Day of Defeat would still get occasional updates along with GldSrc, but it was essentially finished at 1.3.

Gameplay

Day of Defeat is a first-person multiplayer only shooter that takes place in the western European theatre of World War II (Concept). Players choose between two teams: Allied (American or British, depending on the map) or Axis (German, even on Italian maps) to complete a series of objectives.

A round begins with two opposing teams starting simultaneously in their respective spawn areas of the map. The round ends when one of the teams complete their objectives. Players respawn when a reinforcement timer ticks down which is usually set between 10-20 seconds, but can be different depending on the server side setting.

Points are awarded to each player and their respective team based on their kills and captures of the map's given objectives. If neither team achieve their objectives by the time the game clock expires the winning team will be decided based on their overall score.

Game Modes

Conquest

Conquest is perhaps the most common mode of Day of Defeat. There are three to seven flags to capture on a given map. Players can capture a flag by standing near the flag for a certain amount of time. Certain flags require more than one player to capture. Flags are presented as either uncaptured (grey), Axis (red), or Allies (green). Some maps do not allow a captured flag to be recaptured by the defending team, which can be seen as more akin to rush mode in Battlefield than classical conquest.

Destroy Target

Players destroy a target by planting a bomb on it. The bomb can be obtained from the spawn area or it can be picked up from the body of a dead team mate. To plant the bomb, the player simply has to stand within the designated bomb area. Once planted bombs cannot be defused and will detonate in a sizeable explosion. In certain maps, players may destroy targets using rocket launchers.

Capture Target

This is a variation of the conquest mode. Instead of a flag, a target can be captured. This usually includes an important military target within the context of the map.

Capture Item

Players attempt to capture an item and return it to a designated location. For instance, on dod_jagd (Location) the allies must steal some secret documents from the axis and get them back to the allied base before the axis can destroy the British tanks. This is essentially capture the flag with historical context.

Classes

Rifleman

A medium to long range class with incredible stopping power, but little close quarters defense.

American: M1 Garand (Object), two Mk 2 grenades, M1911 (Object), knife
British: Lee-Enfield, two Mills bombs, Webley Mk IV, knife
German: Kar98k, two stielhandgranates, Luger, spade / knife

Staff Sergeant

A medium range class with fast firing semi-automatic weapons.

American: M1 Carbine (Object), two Mk 2 grenades, M1911, knife
British: N/A
German: K43, two stielhandgranates, Luger, spade / knife

Master Sergeant

A close to medium range class with very fast firing rates from SMGs.

American: M1 Thompson, Mk 2 grenade, M1911, knife
British: Sten, Mills bomb, Webley Mk IV, knife
German: MP40 (Object), stielhandgranate, Luger, spade / knife

Sergeant

An American-only class with the famous grease-gun. Good at close range and CQB.

American: M3, Mk 2 grenade, M1911, knife
British: N/A
German: N/A

Sniper

The long range class with a scoped rifle. Very slow rate of fire, but almost always one hit kill.

American: M1903, M1911, M1918 trench knife
British: Lee-Enfield with scope, Webley Mk IV, knife
German: Kar98k with scope, Luger, spade / knife

Support Infantry

A medium range class with extraordinary force, but high recoil and reload times.

American: BAR, Mk 2 grenade, M1911, knife
British: Bren, Mills bomb, Webley Mk IV, knife
German: MP44, stielhandgranate, Luger, spade / knife

MG34-Schütze

A German-only class with a slightly lighter machinegun than the dedicated class.

American: N/A
British: N/A
German: MG34, Luger, spade / knife

Machine Gunner

A tactical class tasked with shutting down enemy advances and providing suppressing fire.

American: M1919, M1911, knife
British: N/A
German: MG42 (Object), Luger, spade / knife

FG42-Zweibein

A German-only class restricted to paratrooper maps. Medium range power.

American: N/A
British: N/A
German: FG42, stielhandgranate, Luger, knife

FG42-Zielfernrohr

A German-only class restricted to paratrooper maps. Medium to long range power.

American: N/A
British: N/A
German: FG42 with scope, stielhandgranate, Luger, knife

Bazooka

A very situational class which can take down some objectives with its primary.

American: Bazooka (Object), M1911, knife
British: PIAT (Object), Webley Mk IV, knife
German: Panzerschreck (Object), Luger, spade / knife

Maps

Anzio

Anzio is one of the most played maps in Day of Defeat. It features a beachhead and urban environments.

Allied Objectives:

Capture the 5 flag points

Axis Objectives:

Capture the 5 flag points

Avalanche

Avalanche is usually considered the de_dust of Day of Defeat. It's easily the most played map and is virtually synonymous with Day of Defeat to most people.

Allied Objectives:

Capture the 5 flag points

Axis Objectives:

Capture the 5 flag points

Caen

Caen was one of the first maps introduced during the alpha of Day of Defeat. It features heavy fighting in a long range city environment.

Allied Objectives:

Capture the 5 flag points

Axis Objectives:

Capture the 5 flag points

Charlie

Originally called Overlord during the alpha and beta stages, Charlie is the ultimate D-Day map. It shows the allied assault on the beaches at Normandy (Location).

Allied Objectives:

Destroy the shingle to move up the beach
Destroy the two 88 'flak' guns
Destroy the Axis radio tower
Destroy the artillery bunker

Axis Objectives:

Defend the beach
Once the beach defenses are breached, fall back and defend

Chemille

One of the less popular maps, Chemille is mostly made up of close range fighting in a destroyed French city.

Allied Objectives:

Capture the 4 flag points

Axis Objectives:

Capture the 4 flag points

Donner

Donner was originally called Thunder during the beta. It was redone to have more sunlight. It's a player favourite and has some of the most intense street fighting.

Allied Objectives:

Capture the 5 flag points

Axis Objectives:

Capture the 5 flag points

Escape

One of the most unique maps, Escape features opposing objectives of destruction. The Axis artillery can actually rain down upon the Allied spawn in Escape, making their advance dangerous.

Allied Objectives:

Destroy the two Axis Nebelwerfers with satchel charges

Axis Objectives:

Destroy the bridge with TNT

Flash

A small farming town is taken over during the map Flash. It's likely the smallest map and has nothing but a linear march with few side-paths.

Allied Objectives:

Capture the 5 flag points

Axis Objectives:

Capture the 5 flag points

Flugplatz

Another very unique map, Flugplatz takes place in an Axis airfield. This was originally a para_ map which means the German players here can use fallschirmjäger weapons like the FG42.

Allied Objectives:

Capture the 6 flag points

Axis Objectives:

Capture the 6 flag points

Forest

Forest is a map which encourages slow advances and sniping. There are plenty of places to hide in the forest and the trench warfare encourages defending.

Allied Objectives:

Capture the 4 trenches

Axis Objectives

Capture the 4 trenches

Glider

Glider was the first para_ map for the Day of Defeat beta. It was changed to an objective map for full retail. Fun fact; Nick Taylor was once murdered so many times during a clan match in the connecting hallways that FuzzDad (creator of dod_glider) added a ladder to the spawn area just for him.

Allied Objectives:

Destroy the '88' flak cannon
Destroy the "Freya" Radar set
Destroy the Radio room inside the castle
Capture the German forward supply house
Capture the German bunker

Axis Objectives:

Clear the area of Allied paratroopers

Jagd

Jagd is a map with seemingly two different modes active. For the British, it's a capture item map, while for the Germans it is a destroy target map. Because of this, it can be frantic and engaging.

Allied Objectives:

Recover and return the plans from the downed glider
Defend the Cromwell tanks

Axis Objectives:

Stop the British from recovering the battle plans
Destroy both British Cromwell tanks

Kalt

A very basic map, similar to Flash. Kalt is a W shaped map with mostly-linear points to capture. The main strategy happens around the middle point on a bridge.

Allied Objectives:

Capture the 5 flag points

Axis Objectives:

Capture the 5 flag points

Kraftstoff

Another old para_ map means Kraftstoff is dominated by Germans with FG42s. It's a basic objective map in a large burnt city.

Allied Objectives:

Defend the Fuel Truck
Defend the Fuel Dump

Axis Objectives:

Capture the Fuel Truck
Capture the Fuel Dump

Switch

One of the later additions to the game, Switch quickly gained a strong following. It's a very long map with lots of points to capture.

Allied Objectives:

Capture the 6 flag points

Axis Objectives:

Capture the 6 flag points

Vicenza

Lots of bazookas and panzerschrecks are used on this map in which there are four separate explosive objectives. It's a large map that can be overwhelming to new players.

Allied Objectives:

Destroy the King Tiger with Bazookas or satchel charges.
Prevent the Axis troops from destroying the two Allied jeeps.

Axis Objectives:

Destroy the Allied Jeeps with Panzerschrecks or satchel charges.
Prevent the Allies from destroying the King Tiger tank.

Zalec

Zalec is another snow map (like Kalt), but unlike the others has a large focus on sniping and stealth. There are numerous snipers' nests located all over the city.

Allied Objectives:

Capture the fountain near the clock tower
Destroy the three Axis Panzers
Capture the Zalec church

Axis Objectives:

Defend the fountain
If the fountain is captured, fall back to the Panzers
If the tanks are destroyed, fall back to the church

System Requirements

PC System Requirements

Minimum: 500 mhz processor, 96mb ram, 16mb video card, Windows XP

Recommended: 800 mhz processor, 128mb ram, 32mb+ video card, Windows XP

Mac System Requirements

Minimum: OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.3, 1GB RAM, 4GB Hard Drive Space, NVIDIA GeForce 8 or higher, ATI X1600 or higher, or Intel HD 3000 or higher

Linux System Requirements

Minimum: Linux Ubuntu 12.04, Dual-core from Intel or AMD at 2.8 GHz, 1GB Memory, nVidia GeForce 8600/9600GT, ATI/AMD Radeaon HD2600/3600 (Graphic Drivers: nVidia 310, AMD 12.11), OpenGL 2.1, 4GB Hard Drive Space, OpenAL Compatible Sound Card

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