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I own both. DayZ mod is somewhat buggy (nothing like SA), the user interface is not intuitive (C to stand?) and once you have the UI down the gameplay itself has a very high learning curve. It is also The. Best. Game. Ever. Developed. Period. DayZ stand alone is what you would have if a steaming pile of s**t could drop a deuce. I bought the alpha at release, and I'm still waiting for the beta. I expect to continue waiting past 2019. I started with vanilla DayZ mod 4 years ago. It's like no other game I've ever played. I've killed thousands of players in other FPS games. It wasn't until I played DayZ that I murdered someone. Vanilla is all about survival. The zombies are simply the backdrop, a minor annoyance at worst. Its the other players you have to worry about. I remember playing once, still on the coast and not having much luck with loot. I found myself opposite Skalinsky Island, and having never been there I decided to check it out. No loot to speak of, and after roaming around a while I swam back to shore. By the time I got there I was suffering hypothermia and starving (food, water and thermometer flashing), my vision gray and blurry from low health after repeated zombie attacks. Heading towards Electro, I saw a player with an assault rifle and pack go into a building. I had a Makarov (arguably the weakest gun in the game) with 3 rounds. I knew if I shot for the center of body mass he would take all three rounds then kill me with the rifle. I would have to score a head shot, but I was desperate. With sweaty palms and racing heart I trotted to the industrial building he had entered, hoping the pouring rain was masking the sound of my footsteps. When I entered the building he was right in front of me, grabbing some piece of loot of the floor. I shot him in the back of the head from 3 meters. In addition to the rifle he was carrying he had a M9, Alice pack with additional rifle and ammo, food and BLOOD BAGS, OMG 2 BLOOD BAGS. His presence here was something of a mystery. With all this gear why was he still on the coast? Why had he not moved inland, away from the teeming hordes of freshly spawned players, with their hunger and poverty? Had he returned to the coast to meet someone? Perhaps he came to loot medical supplies from the hospital in Electro? I would never know. This was before self-transfusion. I saw a player asking for blood, took a chance and met him in Electro. Again with sweaty palms and racing heart I approached the church. All went well as we gave each other transfusions and parted ways. Determined not to repeat the mistake of my victim, I began the trek inland, toward Stary and NWAF thinking, "Oh, man, this game ROCKS!" Now there are additional mods, and I've moved on from vanilla. I like base building and AI raiding, so I play Epoch. There are several others, each with their own emphasis on particular aspects of gameplay. I'm sure you'll find something to your liking. FYI, I don't know what the point of offline play would be, since it's the interaction with other players that is the spice of DayZ.