tbh, I think the truth lies somewhere in between. Yes, this is a survival game, but especially simple items are really common. Hell, I've got about a five knives within 5 meters of me. But no gun. What about giving the player a choice: Upon respawning you can chose from: - Food and Water - a compass - a knife and matches, but no gun. Give us choice. Balance out all choices so that starting never is easy.