As if Rocket’s decision to “abandon ship” on Bohemia Interactive wasn’t enough to leave DayZ Standalone players questioning their life choices, Rust’s recent achievement of surpassing the $30 million mark might leave some players thinking about throwing in the towel and joining “Team Rust.”
While there are definitely some pretty solid reasons for playing the DayZ Standalone (I mean, come on – who doesn’t like handcuffing a random guy on the street and force-feeding him rotten bananas?), we’ve outlined some hard-hitting examples that show Rust might be the DayZ killer.
[promo title=”#5 – No Character Despawns on Exit”][/promo]
Like a man that was force-fed too many bananas, your body falls lifeless and vulnerable upon logging out of the game.
Once you log out of Rust, your character’s body falls to the ground, and you’re left bare and exposed for any Joe Shmoe to treat you in any way he sees fit (need I remind you that nudity is a possibility in this game…?). While this might come as a bit of a frustration to some, most of us “Rusties” see it as a realistic expectation; you better hole yourself up somewhere, or you’re toast. The sense of realism that comes from this element of Rust is definitely praise-worthy – especially since realism is an important element of the DayZ Standalone – and for this reason, we put “No Despawns” at number five.
Don’t leave yourself exposed when you log out of Rust…
[promo title=”#4 – Zombies: DayZ doesn’t utilize them properly, so what’s the difference?”][/promo]
DayZ Standalone has become notorious (especially in comparison with the mod) for under-utilizing zombies. So when Facepunch decided to remove their zombies, it really wasn’t too disappointing since DayZ doesn’t really emphasize zombie attacks in their zombie survival game, anyways.
The best part? Rust was filled with a radioactive hell raisers (bears and wolves) that tend to attack in groups. If you enjoy the challenge of the two or three (…) zombies that you encounter on a trip through Elektro, you should give Rust a try – the ravenous bears are much less shy, and tend to pose a much greater challenge.
Rust might not have zombies, but it has bears!
[promo title=”#3 – I Like to Break Rocks… (Hunting, Gathering, and Crafting)”][/promo]
Minecraft, anyone? One of the most addictive parts about Rust isn’t just the survival and socialization; it’s the crafting system. Very similar to Minecraft, players are given a rock, and told to “git’r done.” Rust players gather materials from trees, rocks, and animals, and then use these materials to craft anything from armor to houses!
As if surviving the radiation, wild animals, and other players wasn’t reason enough to spend an unholy amount of time playing Rust, this dash of Minecraft makes the game that much more captivating. Sure, DayZ Standalone has minor crafting, but with little to no use for things like a portable gas stove, DayZ is seriously trailing behind in this department.
There’s a bit more crafting than in DayZ Standalone…
[promo title=”#2 – Server Sizes and UI”][/promo]
The first thing you’ll notice when loading up Rust (aside from simplified options) is that Rust’s server sizes are a whopping 200 players or more. There are only a large handful of official servers, but the sheer size makes up for any shortcomings there – though things might get a little hairy when you find yourself fighting for survival among literally hundreds of other players – which makes DayZ’s 40-man servers a cake-walk.
The UI isn’t something to balk at, either. Instead of being notified in chat, or sometimes being completely left to wonder why something failed to work, Rust provides clear-cut notifications that pop-up on screen whenever anything significant occurs – even something as simple as collecting materials from a resource. It may not be a monumental change from DayZ Standalone, but ease-of-play and user-friendliness can go a long way in retaining players.
DayZ Standalone only gets 40-man; Rust gets 200.
[promo title=”#1 – Everyone Playing DayZ is Homeless… (Structures)”][/promo]
Been playing DayZ Standalone long? Tired of being homeless? Don’t get me wrong, I think a homeless person simulator would be a great game too, but that’s not what I signed up for. I am tired of having to bum-fight over a lousy can of sardines, and I want a place to call home!
Like you saw above in #3, players can actually craft structures in this game – that means a place to live! Instead of wondering around from shop to shop, and simply holing up in a shack on the side of the road, you can craft supplies to make your own hiding place. Some of these places get HUGE, too. I’m not just talking about a small house, either; you can literally build a fortress in Rust, and that means my days of being a homeless survivor living in the Elektro church are over!
Good luck getting this kind of structure in DayZ Standalone.