I recently started a new world with wander spawns turned on, just to shake up the usual playstyle.
I was having a good first day, having filled up an emergency shelter with the basics, when I managed to run over Brad Hertfelt with my recently acquired car. I looted his SMG, a Calico 590 or something to that effect, and went off to find a previously noted house full of gun modifications and miscellaneous ammunition.
Upon returning to my shelter night had fallen, so I prepared to read for a few hours before tucking in to my hastily gathered blanket-pile. Entering from the right-hand side of the shelter, I made my way across the dusty concrete to the left side, where my food and nest were located. That's when I saw the first yellow "?".
One more step, now there's 5 yellow "?"'s just outside the wall. Did I mention my character has great listening so those "?"'s aren't just an approximation?
One more step and the windows burst open, my flashlight flicking on to reveal . . . exactly what you expected (a commonly used vulgarity that stands for sexual intercourse-ton of undead).
There is a certain sort of pressure, or stress, that comes from having maybe ten in-game movement turns to grab what you can carry before hundreds of zombies flood your base. It feels like a real decision, not some shoehorned 'choose A or B' narrative dichotomy that AAA gaming falls back onto so frequently. All these separately programmed systems come together to produce a scene out of a movie and it feels entirely organic. This sort of thing is why I play Cata.
Anyways I managed to grab the important bits and throw them into the trunk of that car I had found. Jumping in the drivers seat, slamming the door and twisting the key I started it up and sped off, zombies chasing aft - wait what there's no battery charge left?! fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
That's where I am now, and it isn't the first time I've found myself stranded and running, lugging along a heavily modified tactical weapon that I can't even use properly and a backpack full of not food (who needs food?) but
books.
Look, man, I was scared back there and couldn't think properly.
Eventually I'll make my way back to the car, there's too much there to simply forget.