Since I have a decent amount of hours logged in both games so far I figured I would post up a comparison and my opinion on which I enjoy more. I will still be playing both regardless though. It is important to note that Day Z does have a bit of a leg up in the regards that it was a fully fledged mod for ARMA II before the creator set it on the path to standalone greatness. It is also important to note that both games are in early ALPHA and each has it's fair share of bugs, glitches, and exploits.
Graphics:
Winner = Day Z
This is a no brainer really, as Day Z utilizes the ARMA III engine to create a breathtaking post apocalyptic Russia as seen above. The detailed landscape, structures, characters and gear all help to immerse the player in an eerily empty but dangerous countryside. Rust's Unity Engine can't even compete in this category, but it does hold a certain charm as it reminds me of my Counter Strike Days.
Rust
Controls/Mechanics:
Winner = Day Z
Day Z is able to benefit from ARMA's controls and mechanics offering a large amount of control over your character and tight FPS gameplay. Rust's simple crouch and walk/run limits its ability to play carefully and tactically like one would expect in a survival situation. It doesn't take advantage of the grass in the game and allow you to go prone. The controls are very limited besides the general movement and aim down sights.
Day Z allows your character to go prone as well as lean to peek around corners. Going prone when you are geared out in camo can make you invisible until you take a shot or move. The other night my buddy got ahead of the group and went prone. Out of the other 4 players that ran past him, I was the only one that saw him and that is only because I practically stepped on him. It also offers quick in-game hand gestures to allow you to communicate in tense situations. For example if you cannot use your mic for in game proximity voice you could press F1 to wave to another player, or F2 to sit down and take a break from all that surviving. When shit really hits the fan you could press F3 to put your hands up and surrender.
Sound:
Winner = Day Z
Day Z takes the cake on this one. Rust gives you the occasional wind gust rustling through the grass and trees and gun fire from afar sounds quite accurate, but it can't compare to Day Z. When you spawn on the coast in Day Z(you always do) you are treated to the waves lapping against the shore and the ocean breeze rustling through the grass. As you travel inland you can hear birds singing in the trees occassionally, and the wind in the forest treetops. Once you make your way to a town you occasionally hear a chain link fence moving in the breeze, putting your paranoia to eleven. Footsteps are clear and accurate based on what you are walking on. Tile inside a building sounds like you are walking on tile with your boots on, asphalt sounds like asphalt. You can also hear someone eating,reloading, drinking or bandaging which can pinpoint a player who is not moving.
Gameplay:
Winner = TIED
I can't pick a clear winner here right now. I can tell you Day Z will own this category once all the planned additions make their way into the game though. Both games have enjoyable and engaging gameplay with slightly different aspects involved.
Rust's crafting and building system makes the players the complete masters of the map for the most part. Bases spring up, and sometimes complex politics come into play between people. Communities or truces might be formed, or base raids and all out war might ensue over resources or land. This is where Rust shines. When I log on I am always on the lookout for new structures, especially ones encroaching on our hidden TAB house. Keeping an eye on larger player structures or clusters of structures is key because you don't want to let people stockpile so much that they are untouchable in their fortresses.
Day Z focuses on the player interaction more and uses the many cities, towns, military installations, airfields and countrysides as a backdrop for this. Players scavenge for whatever they can find in these areas and hope to avoid zombies or worse, other hostile players. Day Z currently has a limited crafting system compared to Rust right now but it has a few things that Rust does not. It has item durability as well as a complex health system that trumps Rust's simple hunger meter and cold or bleeding notifications. In Day Z your character mimics the real life version of a human being. Your stomach has a certain capacity, and you can only fill it with so much water or food...or both. Eating certain things like rice and cereal will make you thirstier quicker, just like the real world. You can also bleed out like in rust but you suffer more. The color will fade from your vision and everything will go gray when you lose a large amount of blood and your wounds can get infected. There are ways to combat loss of blood with saline IVs or food and antibiotics for infection. Day Z's gunplay is also quite superior to Rust's as it benefits from ARMA's engine and mechanics.
Both have their charm and are very enjoyable when it comes to gameplay but Day Z takes the cake from me. I stress again that Day Z had the benefit of being a mod before hand and that both games are similar but quite fun in their own ways. At any rate I hope to see you all surviving out there, in whichever wilderness you choose.
Graphics:
Winner = Day Z
This is a no brainer really, as Day Z utilizes the ARMA III engine to create a breathtaking post apocalyptic Russia as seen above. The detailed landscape, structures, characters and gear all help to immerse the player in an eerily empty but dangerous countryside. Rust's Unity Engine can't even compete in this category, but it does hold a certain charm as it reminds me of my Counter Strike Days.
Rust
Controls/Mechanics:
Winner = Day Z
Day Z is able to benefit from ARMA's controls and mechanics offering a large amount of control over your character and tight FPS gameplay. Rust's simple crouch and walk/run limits its ability to play carefully and tactically like one would expect in a survival situation. It doesn't take advantage of the grass in the game and allow you to go prone. The controls are very limited besides the general movement and aim down sights.
Day Z allows your character to go prone as well as lean to peek around corners. Going prone when you are geared out in camo can make you invisible until you take a shot or move. The other night my buddy got ahead of the group and went prone. Out of the other 4 players that ran past him, I was the only one that saw him and that is only because I practically stepped on him. It also offers quick in-game hand gestures to allow you to communicate in tense situations. For example if you cannot use your mic for in game proximity voice you could press F1 to wave to another player, or F2 to sit down and take a break from all that surviving. When shit really hits the fan you could press F3 to put your hands up and surrender.
Sound:
Winner = Day Z
Day Z takes the cake on this one. Rust gives you the occasional wind gust rustling through the grass and trees and gun fire from afar sounds quite accurate, but it can't compare to Day Z. When you spawn on the coast in Day Z(you always do) you are treated to the waves lapping against the shore and the ocean breeze rustling through the grass. As you travel inland you can hear birds singing in the trees occassionally, and the wind in the forest treetops. Once you make your way to a town you occasionally hear a chain link fence moving in the breeze, putting your paranoia to eleven. Footsteps are clear and accurate based on what you are walking on. Tile inside a building sounds like you are walking on tile with your boots on, asphalt sounds like asphalt. You can also hear someone eating,reloading, drinking or bandaging which can pinpoint a player who is not moving.
Gameplay:
Winner = TIED
I can't pick a clear winner here right now. I can tell you Day Z will own this category once all the planned additions make their way into the game though. Both games have enjoyable and engaging gameplay with slightly different aspects involved.
Rust's crafting and building system makes the players the complete masters of the map for the most part. Bases spring up, and sometimes complex politics come into play between people. Communities or truces might be formed, or base raids and all out war might ensue over resources or land. This is where Rust shines. When I log on I am always on the lookout for new structures, especially ones encroaching on our hidden TAB house. Keeping an eye on larger player structures or clusters of structures is key because you don't want to let people stockpile so much that they are untouchable in their fortresses.
Day Z focuses on the player interaction more and uses the many cities, towns, military installations, airfields and countrysides as a backdrop for this. Players scavenge for whatever they can find in these areas and hope to avoid zombies or worse, other hostile players. Day Z currently has a limited crafting system compared to Rust right now but it has a few things that Rust does not. It has item durability as well as a complex health system that trumps Rust's simple hunger meter and cold or bleeding notifications. In Day Z your character mimics the real life version of a human being. Your stomach has a certain capacity, and you can only fill it with so much water or food...or both. Eating certain things like rice and cereal will make you thirstier quicker, just like the real world. You can also bleed out like in rust but you suffer more. The color will fade from your vision and everything will go gray when you lose a large amount of blood and your wounds can get infected. There are ways to combat loss of blood with saline IVs or food and antibiotics for infection. Day Z's gunplay is also quite superior to Rust's as it benefits from ARMA's engine and mechanics.
Both have their charm and are very enjoyable when it comes to gameplay but Day Z takes the cake from me. I stress again that Day Z had the benefit of being a mod before hand and that both games are similar but quite fun in their own ways. At any rate I hope to see you all surviving out there, in whichever wilderness you choose.
