Just started playing this. Some day I hope to survive to actually see sunset. Of the first day.
Seriously, HOW THE FUCK DO YOU SURVIVE?? To survive, I need stuff. Stuff is in buildings. Buildings are crawling with zombies. I can kill a couple of zombies, but that just attracts a metric fuckton of zombies and then death. There doesn't seem to be a way to "sneak", so there's no way to quietly slip into houses and get what I need.
Here's a basic survival guide for getting past day 1:
1) Make a makeshift crowbar in the shelter. While this is only as good as a pipe, you can 'a'ctivate it to pry locked windows or doors (windows have a chance of being smashed instead of opening. (Note that in the stable version you can craft a normal crowbar, which is an even better weapon).
2) Find a bit of houses that stick out from the city or a hotel or public works that sticks out. This should
not have any shops near it.
3) Go up to the edge and lure out 1/2 zombies. Lure the zombie onto a bush and hit it
once before running away (If you have the quick trait you might be able to squeeze two hits in). Lure it onto another bush and continue the process until said zombie is dead. Continue until all lured zombies are dead, then butcher the corpses.
4) Keep doing this until you've cleared out an area of houses. Important note about zombie dogs, but you can't really run from them. Only try to do so if there is a very close bush or many other zombies nearby, instead just stand and fight. (Important note, do
not engage zombie dogs near other zombies if at all possible).
5) Once you've leveled up survival enough make yourself a digging stick. Dig an alternating line of pits (pit, no pit, pit, no pit, etc.). This works much better then bushes at clearing out zombies and can allow you to get 2-3 hits in.
6) Once an area is clear enter one of the houses and make it your base. Good bases are rooms with a bed, one door, and no windows.
7) Continue the process and slowly clear out the nearby city.
The most important thing to do is to take it
slowly. Going to fast will just end up with a horde on your heels and you dying.
Another tip; if you still find survival difficult invest some of your starting points into a profession or skills. Sure stats give you the greatest late game potential, but that's useless if you don't
live to the late game and a few bits of equipment or starting skills can give you a very nice survival boost at the beginning.