My game generally starts with crafting the standard stuff in the shelter, hopefully convincing the NPC there to join me, wait till nightfall. Set a house on fire, cross town, start looting.
Other than food, a pot, and a screwdriver, I am always on the lookout for first kits, disinfectants and antibiotics. Great joy when there is a Mansion on the initial map.
Day 2 or 3 will then be focused on finding books - a school, bookstore or library (and hopefully that mansion was stocked!), as well as tools.
Then comes the potential gap… if I found enough books to get my mechanics up and one of those books has the Welding Rig recipe, I am golden, but if I don’t find that, I am kind of stuck … Welding goggles are pretty easy to make, as is a makeshift welder, but that thing sucks batteries like they are going out of style, and without being able to make a welding rig, I can’t progress much further…
This is where I am in my current game, and I am curious as to what others do to progress.
From what you’ve said so far you seem to prefer building/fixing vehicles early. In the very first season there’s not much point to that. Generally you should find a decent vehicle ( RV or any armored trucks ), fix it, slap some cargo spaces or trunks on it and you should be golden if your base is at the outskirts of the town.
The only time I’d consider seriously starting to work on a vehicle is late in the first year ( at least at normal 14 day seasons ) once you have high skills and preferably the survivor gear. Or once you loot the whole city you spawned with.
Because driving between towns to store loot would be extremely annoying.
I have honestly never understood the value or even viability of a static base, beyond the initial looting of the first town.
Given that its unlikely that first town is surrounded by Labs, Bunkers, Caves and all the other extremely interesting places, a mobile base seems top be just the only options, otherwise you will waste a huge amount of time (real life time) and gas in going back and forth in ever increasing distances from home base.
As to zooming around in something pre-built, I dont understand the viability of that, given that riving an RV into a new town is going to have you swarmed in zero time… so the need for armor, rams, turrets, etc seems mandatory.
[quote=“Michi, post:3, topic:13429”]As to zooming around in something pre-built, I dont understand the viability of that, given that riving an RV into a new town is going to have you swarmed in zero time… so the need for armor, rams, turrets, etc seems mandatory.
I would love to hear another strategy…[/quote]
Take your prebuilt vehicle and modify it. Super modify it. Turn it from an RV chassis to a rolling doom fortress why not. Or, if you play with the tanks and other vehicles mod, just find yourself an MBT, install a bunch of cargo spaces, and enjoy!
Don’t drive the vehicle into town? Seriously, I don’t usually bother with vehicles until a good bit into the game - say, late fall, early winter. Until then, any working vehicle is fine… it’s only purpose is long-range cargo carrying to get back to the (temporary) home base.
Eventually, yes, I go mobile, but there’s not really any reason to for a good while. As you said, you’re spending most of the time period reading, anyway.