How to sur-THRIVE!!! The 7 P's.. Proper Planning and Preperation, Prevents a Piss Poor Performance!!!

I should say, much of this info was garnered from the wiki, forums and stuff. you'll excuse me if i dont single EVERY one out, but if you see something of yours, thanks, from everyone.So, might as well start at the start, Character creation.Most guides advise going for the construction worker, for the 'thick skinned' perk and almost bonus perk, 'handy'. Getting two perks, free, is handy(do they give you an extra because its the least 'cool'?).I would advise giving the park ranger some thought, as survival is the main aim of this game NOT KILLING ZOMBIES!!!! since you will rarely have the kit to take on large hordes all the time, you will spend a lot of time picking zed off in ones and twos, therefore you will find MOST combat handy enough after a few deaths..In the winter however, its cold every night, and having a campfire lit in your custom built 5 story safe 'penthouse' is not wise. Outdoors man perk negates this being an issue. (note:I speak from experience, i accidentally did a Columbus and burned down my first base just before setting out on my 'Great Adventure'. Nothing worse than trying to grab supplies from a burning building.)As for perks to take, i find Strong a must, the extra carry weight saves soooooo much time. so much loot: )I also usually take Lucky, cos in these sort of games it pays to be lucky!!! Always!!!Unlike most people, i dont take athletic, compared to Lucky and Strong, i dont think its worth the huge points. Sprinting can be 'up-skilled' with use, but strength or luck cant..To off-set these i take Light drinker(like to keep my wits about me anyway), Healthy eater(if planned, food isnt an issue), Short temper and Brooding(cos in reality, i am[and the way i play, they dont affect me at all]).And so to Start Up. THIS will be how you lived! (note:it's a hard game, you may still feed the worms)Also, i like to start in Muldraugh, its the area i know best, and knowing your area can be a BBIG help in a panic.First things first, i am going to assume you have the basics, movement, have killed a zed-head or two in your time, AND HAVE LOOKED AT THE MAP!!!!!!Some amazing ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ hero called 'Blind' or something has only taken up the mantle of mapping the whole damned place!!! I usually have three maps open anytime i play. 1/ My base locality. 2/ The route i plan to take, zoomed in so it has start and finnish. 3/ Close zoomed in view of area i'm headed to.As soon as you are in game your initial goals are; 1/ A Weapon. 2/ A Weapon. 3/ A Friggin WEAPON!!!!Kitchen knives and Rolling pins are ok in a pinch, and i really like the frying pan, early in the game, it seems to knock zeek down better than most. Baseball bat is a nice find too.Its a good idea to carry a spare weapon, most of the above degrade pretty quickly, but luckily dont weigh a huge ammount.If by chance you come accros the crowbar, upgrade to that, it also uses the blunt skill, more thane likely continuing your early path. Heavier, but more durable, my CB has killed a LOT of zeek..Getting GoingOnce armed, and using 'Your Home' as a start up base, its time to strip your initial neigbhourhood clean of all usefull items. These fit into two catagories, For Now/Always, and For The Future.For Now/Always;Two Large Hiking Bags(equip one to back, one to secondary[Re-Name. makes it easier to find if you misplace it, or die]). Till you have them, use what you can..Perrishable Food(use this to survive on till the power goes out[and once your farming-Duh]).Non-Perrishable Food(start to hoard this stuff sooner rather than later, its your emergency stash!).Towel(essential for when you've been caught out on a run by the rain. it rains a lot, and i'm Irish-i'd know)Bowl(used to create salads, one of the best types of food)For The Future;Seeds(ALL seeds, pretty soon they'll be your only source of food, but in particular, Cabbage, Potatoes, Tomatoes and Brocoli, in prety much that order. All can be easily put in a bowl for a tasty salad, and any combination gives unhappieness and boredom what-for!!![Cabbage is the fastes to grow, and should be used as the base of pretty much ALL your meals.]).Water(the water goes out about the same time as the power, every sink and toilet will still have a bit left in the pipes, so its not too bad, if your prepared. Start filling pots and bottles early.)Sand/Gravel Bags(for carrying dirt)Garbage Bags(Random, I know. 16 should be plenty, that'll get you 4 Rain Collectors)Tools(Axe, Saw, Trowel, spade, Hammer, Can Opener[these are the essentials])Nails(used for ALL construction, so yea, you need em.)Guns and Ammo(i'll talk about em later, but at the start you wont have enough of the latter to rely on em, good to start stockpiling for a dead cold war tho).The Early HumpAfter about 3-5 days, you should have stripped the area clean, and have some of the basic equipment needed to survive the early stages of the game. My advise, is take your time, and continue to strip the area for another day or two, but either way, when you feel your ready, its time for your first Base Re-Locating.First Big MoveIf you took my advise, and started in Muldraugh, your next Base Location should be the 'Cortman Medical' building, in the mid-western part of town. This building is 1/ Fairly easily cleared(1 or 2 zed inside-possibly..). 2/ Stocked with enough Medical supplies to last you for the first few months, EVEN if you DIDN'T pick up all the stuff your going to find over the next while). 3/ Easily barricaded(not too many downstairs windows and doors) 4/ Good start up location(zeek in 1's, 2's and 3's, not too bad for clearing. Close enough to the Big Urban Warehouse and Small Warehouse[your next stop]). 5/ Its also just a pretty good all-round building design and doesn't need much upgrading. i lived quite happily upstairs for a good 3 weeks(till the afore mentioned flame fest!). The kitchen is upsairs, and theres about 10 storage units up there, with about another 6 downstairs for construction supplies and the like.First Three SortiesWell now i suppose it's 'tweeking' time. Ladies choice. In order to get most of the remaining supplies needed, you'll probably need to hit up the warehouses mentioned earlier. it's not too far from Cortmans, and has LOTS of tools, weapons and supplies, but you WILL more than likely spend the night. Anything you still need, supplies-wise, if your still short on some of the essential tools, can more than likely be found at the 'McCoy Logging Corp.'(definately an over-nighter). On the other hand, to progress at any sort of pace, through the skills, you'll need to become a book worm. You COULD just pick em up as you find em on your travels, or you could get pretty much ALL the birds with one stone! There's TWO stores in the Mini-Mall on the southern end of the town, next to the highway, that have pretty much ALL the books. BEWARE, THE HIGHWAY AND CLOSE TO IT IS ZED DEAD CENTRAL!!!!! Its a tough early run, but if you travle light, and you havent invested too much in your character, it can be worth an early risk.Either way, all three are kind of importent to my whole philosophy. If your with me so far, and took your time at the start, holed up in Cortmans, and went on the three sorties, you should have all you need to set up your first Permanent Base of Operations. Seeds, tools, food, water, construction and medical supplies, basic traveling kit, skill books ALL da shiiiiii! Now you can go to any location you like the look of, be that strategicaly or astheticly, for ease of access or a challenge, and set up a solid STORE-ROOM, FARM, and SAFE-ROOM.