For new players:
Since the UI can be a bit unwieldy at times, here's some things I learned:
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The combination of using NUMPAD+ and the TAB key is really useful to drop, equip, dress/undress/haul certain items without having to scroll through your stuff.
NUMPAD+ = select everything
SPACE = confirm
TAB = activate filter
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Examples:
TAB+'f' selects all food, so it is very useful to dump all the food into the cellar. TAB+'f', NUMPAD+ and SPACE do a great job here.
If I want to cook those 259 elk cuts, what I do is
press 'd' (to drop)
press NUMPAD+ (to select everything)
press TAB 'f'
press NUMPAD- (to unselect everything)
press SPACE (Now I will drop everything that is not food)
When roasting my cuts I can now use 'r' to repeat, and if I am only carrying raw meat, the process is really fast.
I do the same for tanning stuff, drop everything except hides, press 'g' to get my knife (and some fat) from the pile at my feet, and I am ready to go with 0 penalties
I do the same when trading in a village sometimes, when I drop everything I don't want to sell. I undress all clothing via SHIFT+T, TAB 'a', NUMPAD+, SPACE. Now I can let the villagers choose "which items they actually want", and I can also carry more.
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The game takes materials from the ground. When crafting it is useful to first drop everything (NUMPAD+, SPACE), and then pick up some critical materials that cannot be used from the ground (like food or cords).
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When cooking (or drying food) it is useful to build the cellar right next to the shelter. This way I can make a fire next to the cellar and cook while standing on the cellar. The food is prepared "inside" the cellar. If the fire is really small, the food won't burn and will be stored in the cellar without the need to move it there.
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About drying food: On my first couple of games I didn't know that clothing can be used to make cords. Linen, wool, leather, and fur clothing can be transformed into cords. One cord can take 19 cuts.
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Food preservation: Food on companions spoils more slowly. Shift+'g' can be used in the overland map, so whenever I am hungry, I can take some meat from my companion instead of carrying the food myself. (Also useful for trading.)