Nice

Bit late to the party, but I feel for you. However, the game straight up tells you that you won't be able to come back, so why didn't you bring the most important stuff...?

Damn, bro. You should give it another try. It's so good.

I was so pissed that I didn't finish the game after that

Instead of molotovs, you can create a gasoline puddle on the other side of the door, then create a gasoline line from the puddle to your side of the door, then barricade it; Chompers show up, you throw a match onto the oil slick, it ignites the gas on the other side of the barricaded door, kills the chomper, and your barricade remains intact. Save your alcohol for super-healing alcohol bandages!! They have 3x the duration of pain medicine, but heal just as fast; You can outheal 3 chompers biting your ass.

Me being confused after only been to dark forest and not finding what else to do

Bruh , how stupid must you be to not kill the woolf in two shotgun shots in back in 1 chapter?

I brought an even amount of equipment but I had to fight with a shovel and Pistol for the rest of the journey, I think that was bad-ass.
Also, ROMAN FORTIFICATION OF HIDEOUT 4!

Yeah, I was so immersed, I ran after the doctor immediately. I was aware that the Swamp and it's hideout existed, but I figured it'd be a load screen. I was wrong... but hey, that made it hella more fun trying to survive in the hardest area with little to nothing.
Come to think of it, arguably, Hideout 3 is tougher to surive in than Hideout 4 because I can NOT defend myself from Red Chompers without molotovs.