Recently Luckee and Frag-girlie were able to catch up with Molotov_billy, one of the members on the Half-life: Day of Defeat team, and ask him some questions about this awesome mod.

PCShooter: Please tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started with the DoD team

Jakob Jungels: My name is Jakob Jungels, and I’m currently attending Indiana State University, majoring in art and computer science.  I’ve always been interested in World War 2, so DoD was a natural choice for me when I got interested in game modifications.

PCShooter: Have you worked on any mods prior to DoD?

Jakob Jungels: Nope, DoD is my first mod, and my first work as a modeller.

PCShooter: The realism in this game is unparalleled. How did the DoD team create such a realistic mod? 

Jakob Jungels: As far as my department goes, we are blessed with a few gun experts, namely Kelly Thornton, who owns quite a few of the guns modelled in DoD.  With his help, the art team can get whatever resources they need for reference. 

PCShooter: Who came up with the idea to create the DoD mod with the WWII influence? 

Jakob Jungels: Tough question. Since I really wasn’t around at the birth of DoD, I can’t say who first envisioned it.  Strangely enough, very few people from the original team still work on the mod.  

PCShooter: How many people are on the development team?

Jakob Jungels: The core team, who do most of the work, consists of about a dozen people.  Several more have contributed a few things, and then moved on. 

PCShooter: Did war/combat movies like Saving Private Ryan and Enemy at the Gate greatly influence the team in the creation of this mod?

Jakob Jungels: Not necessarily. I think we try to stick more to proven historical references rather than a movie that was made for entertainment.  Although both movies do contain a wealth of information, its hard to tell what to believe.

PCShooter: Most missions require a teammate’s assistance to accomplish the goal, and I understand teamwork is a main aspect in the game, but is there any way around this in case gamers don’t want to play as a “team”?  

Jakob Jungels: Teamwork is very important to us, and is the groundwork for almost any multiplayer game.  Expect beta 2.0 to add some features that will improve and encourage teamplay.  However, if you really want to go solo, I’m sure you could always grab a sniper rifle and hide out in some dark corner. 

PCShooter: Are there any secrets to be found or hidden areas that we need to explore for? 

Jakob Jungels: I know that almost every mapper will put an “easter egg” somewhere in their map.  An easter egg is simply a secret room, usually with a few notes from the mapper.  I’ve only been able to find a few myself. 

PCShooter: How long does it take on average to create just one Day of Defeat map or model?

Jakob Jungels: This is hard to say.  If you want to get it right, modeling can be a very time consuming endeavor.  The complete process of modelling, animating, and texturing will usually take upwards of 20 hours of solid work, per model.  

PCShooter: What’s next for the team after 2.0 is released?  

Jakob Jungels: If any bugs crop up, we’ll always be ready to work on a 2.1.  However, after that, who knows.  If the rest of the team is motivated enough to continue working, then its on to beta 3.  (Although its far too early to tell what will happen.) 

PCShooter: We really enjoy playing Day of Defeat and am looking forward to the upcoming patches/releases.  Your team has done an excellent job with this mod.  Thank you very much for your time.  I wish you the best of luck and much success.

Jakob Jungels: I'm glad you liked the mod. Thanks for the interview.