I cant seem to survive for shit anymore >.< doesn't seem to matter how much I sneak or anything
I'll repost what I wrote on their boards:
The biggest thing is: don't panic.
When you're outside and you're being chased, you don't need to run yourself to exhaustion. You just need to run enough to stay ahead of the horde. Sometimes continuing to run is what gets you surrounded by zeds. When you can't see any zeds immediately in front of you, slow down. Start looking for hiding places. Stay observant, plan where you're going to run to, be ready to change direction at a moment's notice. Most importantly, conserve your energy for when you find a big stretch of woods, or a lot of houses grouped closely together. THEN you sprint like a mad man, put real distance between you and the horde. Or save your energy for when you're completely, 100% cornered.
Second biggest tip: don't overestimate the horde's ability to follow you. It's true, they can be tenacious. They can also be super, super lazy. LOS is the biggest determinate of them following you, followed by sound. Scent is kinda hard to quantify. Put some distance between you and them, break LOS and hide. I find I have a lot of success getting the horde to chase me to a house, entering through a window, and exiting the backside. The bulk of the horde seems to get stuck attacking the house.
Third is: 3 zombies are not really a threat. If you've been running from a horde, avoided them, and run face first into 3 zombies...just kill them. Quickly, quietly, discretely. The Frying Pan or Spade is a decent starting weapon, far far better than the Kitchen Knife. Don't let 3 zeds ruin the only good hiding spot you've found for blocks. If there's no LOS between the zombies you're fighting and the zombies chasing you, chances are, you're in the clear.
Fourth is this: there is no rhyme or reason to zombie spawns right now. A horde will appear in a spot you thought was clear only 2 hours ago. Don't assume anything, especially when you pick a safe house. It's only safe as long as the dice say it's safe.
I'd just add that there's a lot of variance in how well you're pursued by the horde. Run long enough, far enough, around enough LOS-blocking corners, and you'll lose 90% of the horde. Usually what I do is run run run, turn a few corners, then turn a final corner, back up and wait. Inevitably, 1 to 5 zombies will come around the corner. I take them out one at a time, and if ANY more than that show up, I assume the rest of the horde is shortly behind, and start running again. I've used this method pretty consistently now and it seems to pan out most of the time. The newest patch has also improved your stealthiness when sticking closer to walls, and added more LOS blocking. So fences and turning the corners of houses is even more effective.
It's really neat how certain things in game affect you psychologically and make you start to despair. Just the sight of a large horde on two sides of you is sometimes enough to break your will and make you commit suicide by zombie. But other times, if you're persistent and keep pushing your luck as far as it will go....sometimes the game surprises you and you actually DO get away safely. That's when the game really shines, in those moments where you've narrowly avoided trouble. It's what gives all the survival aspects, sleeping, cooking food, the creature comforts their weight. Because when you've been running for 3 in-game hours and narrowly avoided death several times...and finally get into a safe house so you can rest, get a drink from the faucet, eat, organize your inventory...the relief is palpable.