When comparing Payday 2 vs Don't Starve Together, the Slant community recommends Don't Starve Together for most people. In the question“What are the best multiplayer games on Steam?” Don't Starve Together is ranked 1st while Payday 2 is ranked 30th. The most important reason people chose Don't Starve Together is:
Getting together a group of friends to play Don't Starve Together adds a lot of enjoyment to the game. If you're all first timers, learning how to survive as you go along is amazing, since you get to share in the learning process and the experience together. As you craft and build your own forts, farms, and more, you find more and more ways to learn how to survive, making things less daunting than if you play the game alone.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Exhilarating gameplay that makes you and your friends feel like you are part of a Michael Mann movie
This game is like the bank heist scene from Heat.
Pro Cooperation based gameplay makes sure no single player is more important than any other
Your crew needs to bring specific equipment and weapons in order to stay out of sight or improve everyones chances in a gunfight. You also need to pay attention to your crew's health and ammo. This creates a situation where each team member heavily relies on the rest in order to succeed.
Pro Tons of customization options lets every player individualize their look
You can customize your weapons, masks, and skills using the loot you earn from your heists. This lends itself well to the fact that the game is online multiplayer, being that most players enjoy that they can look different from other players.
Pro Random item placement keeps the games levels fresh
Important items are placed in different locations on each playthrough, adding a slight bit of randomness to how each game plays out. This way you never become too familiar with the layout of each level.
Pro Play as you like, since the missions can be finished in many wildly different ways
You can win levels through stealth, or through a massacre, meaning that you can use nonviolent methods as well as super violent methods, the choice is yours.
Pro New content is added regularly, making sure the game stays fresh and updated for everyone
New DLCs are released regularly, which give old players something new to do as well as keeps the game enticing in order to attract new players.
Pro Couch co-op makes the game even more fun as you all learn together
Getting together a group of friends to play Don't Starve Together adds a lot of enjoyment to the game. If you're all first timers, learning how to survive as you go along is amazing, since you get to share in the learning process and the experience together. As you craft and build your own forts, farms, and more, you find more and more ways to learn how to survive, making things less daunting than if you play the game alone.
Pro Pleasantly twisted sense of humor
There's a dark sense of humor that pervades the game. There's a humanoid spider boy who can grow a beard of silk. There's a living chest called Chester who acts like a dog. There's also silly info text, werepigs, trees that retaliate when you chop them, and many other things.
Pro Deep and varied crafting system
The crafting system has a lot of depth to it and there are tons of items to make. Starting with the recipe for a torch and a pickaxe. You can also make weapons, armor, and various laboratories that enable new technologies. Building new stuff and advancing is the key to surviving the coming winter.
Pro Tweak the gameplay settings to fit any skill level
The game gives you a lot of customization options. You can change the length of day, weather patterns, and spawn rates for resources and monsters. This allows you to adjust the difficulty level to suit your skill and preference.
Pro Unique mix of 2D and 3D art offers a change of pace
Don't Starve Together has a very unique art style that places two-dimensional characters in a three-dimensional setting. Even the waves in the sea look like cardboard cutouts used in a puppet show. This look and feel to the graphics is a nice change of pace from ultra-realistic games.
Pro The further you get, the more you will learn
Starting out you'll only be gathering twigs and grass, maybe chop a tree. You'll also gather basic food such as mushrooms and carrots. Then you'll start building your encampment, learning how the day/night cycle and the seasons work. Later on you'll start building massive farms, refridgerators, fortifications, and many other things. All of this is done for the sake of not starving.
As the game progresses, you will encounter mechanics such as drought, forest fires, the rainy, season, the cold and many others. To counteract these you need to plan properly and will probably die the first time around. Once your knowledge reaches a certain level, you'll be able to survive indefinitely.
Pro Great replay value
Don't Starve Together has randomly generated (customizable) levels, unlockable characters, a story mode, and you can also play it with up to 5 other friends. All of this helps keep subsequent attempts/playthroughs fresh.
Cons
Con Pay-to-win scheme
As others have said, this game is built on DLC and MicroTransactions. If you decide to just buy the game and not fork out any more money you'll find yourself at a SERIOUS disadvantage over other players. In addition, a lot of in-game items require you to either own other games or subscribe to specific Steam groups.
Con Microtransations that boost important stats
With Crimefest 2015, the developer (Overkill) decided to add stat-boosting gun skins that can only be acquired using real money. This makes for a pay-to-win scenario where people who purchase these items have a distinct leg up over non-paying players.
Con New DLC can be a bit expensive
Getting the new DLC the day it arrives can set you back a fair bit. Your best bet is to wait for a sale.
Con Some DLC requires owning other games
Some of the cosmetic items are tied into other games available on Steam, which means you can’t access them unless you purchase the other games as well.
Con Limited to 4 players only
This game has not been built for huge LAN parties (unless you split your players to multiple heists).
Con Train wreck of bad decisions
Developers broke the game to make cash, released a 'feel-good' version to build anticipation for Payday 3. Toxic, game, developers, community. Stay away.
Con Steep learning curve
The first few attempts will last only a couple of in-game days. This is because the game has various punishing mechanics, which you can only learn through trial and error. One such mechanic is the darkness, which will kill you in under a minute if you don't have a light source. Followed by packs of hounds that randomly spawn to kill you. In most cases preparation is key and you can't prepare without knowledge.
Con Can get repetitive
You'll have to repeatedly collect a lot of basic materials like twigs, grass, and ore. This is because most of the starting recipes share the same required materials. Even later in the game you'll be doing many repetitive tasks. Gathering enough firewood for winter is especially bad because you have to chop down dozens of trees. All of this is made worse by the limited inventory space, causing you to make the same trip multiple times.