Seeking strategies for surviving the desert

[Zombull]

Not just the desert. Tundra and arid shrubland to a lesser extent. Specifically non-mountain maps. Without sufficient wood to quickly build a base, one has to turn to stone cutting. This requires additional construction and research time before you can even start.

Does anyone have starting out on these maps down to a science? I'd love some strategy advice.

[milon]

Temporary walls can be built out of anything: Steel (mine it!) or stone (claim/deconstruct nearby ruins) are usually easy to get.

Then you need food.  Forage edible plants, hunt animals (auto-turrets are can be useful if you micromanage), and grow potatoes.  You may need to research hydroponics first, depending on climate.  It's much faster than researching a fertilizer pump and then waiting for it to create soil.

You also need defense.  Walls provide more defense then sandbags.  A good/easy start is an alternating line of wall & sandbag:

WsWsWs...  (W = wall, s = sandbag)

[Innese]

Just a tip, but a key advantage that non-mountain maps now have in Alpha 8 is that they are far, far easier to get a stable power system on, through the use of windmills. With all the open space, lay down a few windmills (and give them a cheap concrete floor if there are lots of trees in your area) and you've got power that mountain bases can only dream of.