[quote=“AllisonW, post:37, topic:8244”]Three, I’d also argue that the optimal late-game setup is not based around a wood stove and charcoal forge, but rather around a solar generator powering “vehicle” facilities in the home. (This may be slightly different if you prefer to operate out of an LMOE rather than keeping a base on the surface, but even then, according to Rivet, solar panels will still function outside of your reality bubble, so you can use them to fill storage batteries and then install them in the actual facilities in your basement: storage battery cases will allow you to remove and install storage batteries with only a wrench, so moving full batteries downstairs/empty batteries outside is easy and efficient.) Vehicle-battery-powered facilities are also a given if you prefer to live out of an RV rather than in a geographically stable base.
…Oh, and. This may be a slightly controversial position, but IMO the most important thing for a fledgling character in zombie country is a sewing kit. Reinforced clothes make a humongous difference in survivability in the early game. A sewing kit, a couple blankets, a closed room, and maybe a glowstick, and you’ll be vastly more survivable in short order. Right behind that, I’d say a pipe or similar parrying weapon.[/quote]
Well, yeah, a late game setup definitely doesn’t revolve around a wood stove (really?) even good equipment in early-game would render that stove obsolete (and I don’t think its good to talk about that right now).
Anyway, metalworking does help somewhat but it can really help if you’re having a shortage of pawn shops and antique stores. I admit that high level weapons like Katana and Rapier tend to replace all the things that you can forge yourself but I had to admit metalworking is secondary in late game.
And about that solar power plant, I think it does help in the late game but I’ve not gotten to that level yet (since my last character died after confrontation with a hulk then a minefield, only 119 days IIRC). Currently after surviving 140 days, I’ve created one (not very big but the size of a house), I’ve equipped it with all of the storage batteries from the solar cars I could find in the town, and a recharger to recharge my UPS (rechargeable) and some other “tools”, currently I use it only for charging storage batteries for my solar car and electric bike (most of the vehicles I have are electric, I’ve only a single gasoline based truck which I’ve never used) since their solar panels charge very slowly. I think you’re right about the solar generator, since, near the late game, most of the battery based tools tend to become rechargeable and most of the vehicles are electric, so it really helps to create a generator if you’ve tons of solar panels and storage batteries lying useless in your storage room. Idk about the atomic battery mod but I think that a UPS (rechargeable) + ups conversion modded tools can give the same results as an advanced UPS + plutonium cells + ups conversion modded tools albeit recharging the UPS (rechargeable) would be slower though I’ve not tried this yet.
And yeah, it really sucks to have tons of batteries when you don’t have any use for them either than “eating” them or wasing them by “refill”.
Night vision trait is ideal for night raids and it mutates into high then full night vision which is even better; but have you ever tried to make your light-amp goggles rechargeable, they’re never ever gonna run out if your raid vehicle has a recharger installed 
.
In the beginning I try to raise my skills to low level (2-3), create a longbow and then I create equipment and do night raids. Before that I just keep some stimulants handy (Adderall is nice but caffeine pills or an adrenaline injector will do the trick) and raid houses on the outskirts of the town; whenever I encounter a hulk or a shocker brute I use it and run away. After that I conduct night raids deep into the city, special buildings like Garages, Pharmacies, Gun Shops, Parking Lots as my prime targets. As the game progresses, you’ll find yourself conducting more and more night raids as your targets are deep inside the city and if you go there in the day but you’ll have to fight lots of zombies on the way. I do some deep day-raids too, just for fun though, but I always keep, painkillers + bandages and my reflex recurve bow + metal arrows (or pneumatic bolt driver) with me.
Thanks.