I've had the game for just over 2 years now. After learning that the game my friend was playing was NOT 7dtd, but a heavily modified game, I set out experimenting with single player, and got to day one legit.
I had friends that had played before, and they wanted to see death after death (which they got), but my fellow newbies and I started a suicide pact. If we got a long term injury, rather than play while crippled, we would just drown ourselves.
Eventually, we learned how to heal/avoid those hours of playing crippled.
I hate modding the game, but have been forced to because of declining health. My eyesight precludes being able to have "spit in my eye" and still surviving. My eyesight and twitching fingers mean I can only really hit a stationary target at range, or in the screenshots below.
I play dead = restart.
All the zombie settings are walk, walk, walk. Otherwise known as "The Walking Dead". I also reduce zombie block damage to 25%, as I want them fighting me, not my base. I'm 62, and not getting any younger, so easy setting is my life.
That being said, I decided to try my hand at reaching lvl 300, with no deaths. I succeeded a few months ago, and most of my games had made it to 300. Recently, I wondered if reaching 300 w/o death was any harder when playing without the 200% Loot bonus and/or the 300% xp bonus, that I have always been using for the better part of 2 years now.
My current game is that game...
Currently, Day 17.
Base from 1st Horde Night:

Street level.

Up top, looking at second tower.

Horde Night 2 base, near entrance, ladder is on the closer column.

In about the middle of the base, showcasing the open grid block versus to horizontal ladder. The open grids were what I had been building my see through/shoot through floor, but the 4 legged friends keep moving around, it is had to hit them. The ladders have just one solid part, and give a far better view. Anyone know if they are strong enough?
In 5 more days, I will take screen shots right after Horde Night #3, before picking up the loot bags/repairing stuff.