Overview

Day of Defeat: Source is a World War II multiplayer first-person shooter developed and published by Valve for the PC (with both a retail release and a digital Steam release) on September 26, 2005. It was later updated for Mac support on July 12, 2010 and Linux support on March 14, 2013.

The game is a remake of the original Day of Defeat using Valve`s Source engine (in similar vein to Counter-Strike: Source) to update its visual and sound design while tweaking the gameplay mechanics.

Like its predecessor, players are split into two forces in the European Theatre of World War II: the "Allies" (U.S. Army) and the "Axis" (German Wehrmacht). In pure infantry-based combat, these forces must fight over strategic points located throughout the battlefield (some points requiring multiple players to capture). While this remake only had this game mode at release, a separate "Detonation" mode was added later (in which players must destroy key enemy equipment using their timed explosives while defusing enemy explosives).

Like most of Valve`s Source engine offerings, the game is often used as a test bed for both Steam and engine updates. It is the first Source game to incorporate High Dynamic Range lighting (predating the standalone Lost Coast tech demo level for Half-Life 2). Along with a variety of updates throughout the years (including new maps, the Detonation game mode, gameplay tweaks, and Steam Trading Card support), the game`s engine received a major update on July 3, 2008 (upgrading it to the version used in The Orange Box, allowing for new visual effects, stat-tracking, user avatar support, and achievements).