Have you ever tried playing permadeath without using any skill points?

[Sal]

I've been trying it for the 1st time recently and I've had alot of fun with it. This will certainly prolong the length of the game for sure since you dont get the benefits of perks and have to either find everything you want or buy/earn it from a trader. You can find schematics but you can only craft T1 items without any bonuses gained from perks.

I'm using these settings; custom gen world, survivalist, night feral, horde every 3 days w/ 3 day range, 64 Z, no warning, no air drops. Everything else default.

It's def a real challenge. I only lasted until day 6 during my first run, day 4 in my 2nd, and I just got killed on day 9 during my 3rd run.  

Here's just a few of the challenges that I've faced while playing.
 

Spoiler

1) It takes alot of will power to not use the skill points as I earn them.  It's really hard when you can't find even the most basic items like a forge or better club while also staring at 15 unused skill points. The temptation alone can sometimes drive me nuts.

2) Low stamina is a real killer and is only magnified 10 fold when your injured! Shout-out to T-rex and I'm sorry I took you for granted after all of these years. Not only do I find myself being stuck with a T1-T2 wood club for first 4-5 days or so, with no extra bonus gained from perks, but maintaining enough stamina to kill 4-6 zombies at once can make it really tough and take alot longer to kill them. Oh and mining and digging for treasure with a T1 stone shove or pickaxe and getting trapped by a wandering horde without any stamina is not any fun either.

3) A workbench doesn't help much when you can't craft anything useful because you haven't found the schematics. Normally, finding or crafting a workbench is a priority so you can start crafting items you have unlocked via perks. But not on this. I was running around trying to find a bench schematic with no luck and I finally earned it from a trader on day 7 and I got really excited. That was until I got it home and realized that it didn't much good since I haven't found very many useful schematics to craft any items in the first place. It was kind of deflating to be honest lol.  

4) Saving ammo for hordes become much more important since I dont have a forge and workbench to craft my own until later on and the first horde night can happen as early as night 1. I can never find enough ammo to use during the day AND horde night, or even a gun good enough use the ammo when I do find it. Pipe weapons are brutal. This means I have to rely on low tier clubs and bows.

5) Transportation. Not being able to unlock the minibike or motorcycle is always fun and challenging. On my last run, I went to a 2nd trader on day 8 and they had motorcycle for sale 30k (or 27k with sugar butts). I thought, great, but I only had 12k and I knew they would restock on day 10. This lead to me scrambling around trying to earn 15k in just a day and half by completing as many jobs as possible.

Which takes me back to the culmination of problems on this list. Clearing POIs is harder and takes more time than usual when you only have a bicycle, a T3 wood club, a T5 primitive bow, a T1 steel spear, and absolutley no stamina! This what got me killed on day 9. I was trying so hard to complete so many jobs that I got caught trying to clear a hotel when I was already injured with no meds on me.

Anyways, I'm having alot of fun with this and I'd suggest trying it out if you haven't already. This is subtle change helps break the monotony of normal play IMO.

 

I'm going to keep playing this way until I reach my end goal a few different times and then I'm gonna try it on a map without any traders.

 

[SURVIVE]

careful they don't adapt this idea and implement it as the new way to play.

[Roland]

It’s the way we always played pre Alpha 11. 😀

[Sal]

6 hours ago, SURVIVE said:

careful they don't adapt this idea and implement it as the new way to play.

I don't think adding an option to disable SP would necessarily be a bad thing, do you?  Personally, I say the more options the better.

 

 

1 hour ago, Roland said:

It’s the way we always played pre Alpha 11. 😀

Been playing since 14 and I'm mad at myself for never thinking to try it until now. I'm freakin loving it...... I just started my 4th run. Whats more, I often complain how sp makes the game too easy when I could've been doing this the whole time, and/or variances of it. 🤐

Aside from being fun, it's already making me use weapons I normally wouldn't as well. For example, I rarely use the bow, and I've never once used a spear in this game because I didn't really see the point. But on my last run I found a steel spear schematic and I also kept finding the spear books in mailboxes and usually I would just sell them. But I only had a T3 wood club and I figured even a T1 steel spear had to be better that......and man what a difference. I've been sleeping on the spear big time.....it's actually a very effective weapon with good range. Especially after reading the attack speed and damage books.

 

BTW, I noticed when TFP started using mailboxes for more books that spears and sewing books show up alot early game.  I don't know if their intentions on doing this was to encourage more players to use the spears or not, but if it was then it certainly worked. 

[Lenny Lettuce Lips]

I have not, but I've been toying with an idea of use only what you can make. That tier 6 you just looted? better sell it, can't make one... I've debated making an exception for tier 6 if only because you can't make them, but maybe that's half the challenge. No buying vehicles or weapons or stations, but materials are kosher. Mods do not get a pass, since you can make them once you find the recipe. Same with food.

I've done live where you start. That first little shack you start by, no matter how small or trashed is home. Also done no home where I just wander and buy everything I need. 

[Sal]

3 minutes ago, Lenny Lettuce Lips said:

I have not, but I've been toying with an idea of use only what you can make. That tier 6 you just looted? better sell it, can't make one... I've debated making an exception for tier 6 if only because you can't make them, but maybe that's half the challenge. No buying vehicles or weapons or stations, but materials are kosher. Mods do not get a pass, since you can make them once you find the recipe. Same with food.

I've done live where you start. That first little shack you start by, no matter how small or trashed is home. Also done no home where I just wander and buy everything I need. 

Haha. I do something similar with almost every play through. I go to the trader after completing the tutorial and whichever POI it sends me to on my first quest I usually just make it my home and use other POIs for hordes. FYI.....I have to do it this way because I absolutely suck at building in this game.

[Lenny Lettuce Lips]

2 minutes ago, Sal said:

Haha. I do something similar with almost every play through. I go to the trader after completing the tutorial and whichever POI it sends me to on my first quest I usually just make it my home and use other POIs for hordes. FYI.....I have to do it this way because I absolutely suck at building in this game.

 They really opened up building now with the shapes. I've been very happy with it so far, and don't let the "copy shape" option slip by your radar. It's infinitely useful, especially if you're a renovator like myself. Ditto the "copy rotation"

 

I usually try to have some challenge to my runs. Current is a reno and hardcore. Got my place nice and pretty, I just gotta move to it. That little shack right North of Hugh's is mine, and I'm gonna add a basement for the goods. Expanded some, but keeping it mostly stock save paintjob.