[quote=“pingpong, post:150, topic:5034”]I hate that apparently Everyone else is getting like 15x the loot/experience/time everyone else is. Am I not supposed to use ranged, like, at all until I need to take down a Mi-go with a LAW? Should I turn on dynamic spawn and just horribly melee things to death?
Outside my home, at the end of spring, with animal discord AND strong scent, there have been two bears, eight snakes, two bobcats (edge of perception and they run away), two or three foxes, and I think two or three dogs. Even pillaging a forest and half of a town got me like no wildlife. Where is the food that walks to my door!?![/quote]
Unless something changed since the experimental I downloaded last Saturday (and it doesn’t look like it on Github,) you can still grind ranged skills with homemade weapons and homemade ammo.
I tend to like no-skill stat-heavy builds for new characters, since it makes the early game feel very vulnerable but makes it much more satisfying when you’re established in mid-game. After I make a makeshift crowbar and search the basement of the shelter with a new character, the first thing I do is usually collect 5 rocks or so and throw them at the wall in the basement until my throwing is level 3. Having a handful of rocks and a few levels of throwing can make a lone zombie or two much less threatening as you try to get through the first couple days.
By the end of day 2 or 3, I like to have 3-4 knife spears and my throwing around 5-6. (You can make the knife spears the first day, really, but the issue is being able to carry them.) If you move tactically you can handle a few normal zombies without too much trouble.
From here, you can prioritize skill books and then grind a little more until you get good at a weapon you like. Archery is kind of tedious but very effective once you get the ability to craft the highest two bows, and it trains marksmanship which is useful for other weapons. If memory serves there are also a couple weapons that you can build that use easily craftable ammunition to get you levels in pistols, rifles, and (I think) launchers. As long as you have good food, water, and shelter, time is on your side.
