I’m a fairly new player (finally started playing this game a few weeks ago, this game is amazing) and I just use the default. One reason I love games like this is the challenge, and if you start with a godlike character it kind of diminishes the challenge, eh? Unless you do the “challenge” starts - and I’ve flirted with those but I’m not seasoned enough to handle them yet. But to each his own. One of the may great things about this game is the many different ways you can play it - options are good.
I’m on my 2nd (and current) real play thru (well, 2nd that didn’t end early due to dying miserably - there have been MANY of those) and I’m over a year in. I started with 6 + 1 for the poor college student start, 12 in negative traits. I don’t start with skills - just solid attributes and some positive traits - a solid base for long term growth.
Different strokes for different folks - I don’t feel a need to jump start into the game (with skills) since some of the most fun for me in the game is the early build up - trying to find books - surviving. And if you start with no skills you can have some pretty tight atts and nice positive traits.
My 1st “real” run ended about 30 days in via learning curve when I electrohacked a military bunker and got one shot by the turret inside - whoops. Did similar to my current game but didn’t start as poor student.
My first game I did .4 zombie spawn but otherwise started the same type of character - played that til about 30 days and decided I knew enough to play with normal spawn but it took me several tries to get rolling as the difference between .4 and 1.0 is huge. With .4 you can just waltz into town after spawning and loot away…
My characters tend to be more of the 12 8 12 10 variety - melee heavy but I usually dink with bows/guns as well. No starting skills. Max negative traits. Several positive traits. I’m probably going to move away from mutation though since I have horrible luck with it even with the trait. I have a pile of sweet bionics but I’ve yet to install them in any of my games yet (working on reducing fail chance for the beefier ones in my current game) - and having control over how you “mutate” seems preferable. I could go with more str and int with those 3 pts gladly (ditching the mutation trait).