You should check the Zombie Feral Sense option. Sounds like you got it setup to Night.1: Zombies sense: I am not sure, but I fell zombies are more aware than normal and can sense my presence very easy, specially during the night. I am playing single player, insane difficulty, Agility build specialized in parkour, stealth and sneak attack. Sometimes they awake inside a room even before I enter, even with me playing without armor, using bow and dont steped into any trash...
Then ofcouse alll the Z around you can sense your presence and come to get a bit of you.
Forge is the thing you smelt things.2: To be able to craft plates I need Artisan's Table > Forge > Blacksmith. To be honest I think Forge and Blacksmith Forge can be merged into one.
Blacksmith forge, is just to heat up the things before you work with it at the anvil. Not nearly the same temperature like at the forge.
That is your difficult.5: The nights in early game are very very very boring, I cant even open a box inside my base, without the zombies coming looking for me. All I can do is stay still and wait the sun rise... Even with me not moving the zombies all come to my location and start wandering around my base... In the early game I cant build a underground base, because I dont have proper tools and skills to do that.
At my playthrough (Warrior i think) i could walk around at night. Sneak kill lonely Z with the bow/xbow.
Ofcouse you need to turn off your lights and don't have feral sense.