Question on NPC's and theft. I made four pouches, trying to make a survivor vest, then had to run out to get some duct tape. When I got back, the pouches were gone. Do NPC's currently steal things, or did I somehow lose them in some other way?
My advice for base-building is to go mobile. Now that shrubs are nerfed, it's not so difficult to build a large rolling box that you park on the edge of town. If you can get an electric engine and move at 20mph or higher, then you should be fine. Just avoid actual streets, they're clogged with wrecks.
I've found cars and RVs but they always seem to be missing engine/wheels.
You may have to build one yourself. You'll need a hacksaw and wrench to remove parts from existing cars, a welder/improvised welder/integrated toolset to attach them to a new car, and a jack to replace tires. It's not easy, but it's worth it.
Also, if you make your car fairly narrow (3-4 tiles wide) you can navigate the streets fairly easily at low speeds. Just don't try to run zombies over without covering the car in spiked plating and blades, I've lost several cooking and welding rigs that way.
What's in the experimental build? Is it worth getting?
I'm still on the stable release.
Cars have been improved. Lots of new recipes for food, clothing, etc, many of which are very, very nice. Martial arts have been improved, they're no longer a pseudo-item, and they work extremely well (tai-kwon-do does solid damage and is extremely resilient). Character creation has been changed greatly (Otaku now costs 4 points, for example). Libraries have more books, and more advanced books. I've seen some new bionics, though I may have just never found those in the stable release. And that's what I've seen so far.