Thank you for such a detailed comment!
I really appreciate the fact that you've liked the audiovisual settings, the basic idea of this game, and the amount of content and depth I've added! I also am, very, VERY fond of the fact, that you've enjoyed this game, and that you were determined enough to get to the ninth round, and to explore the content of the game; that genuinely makes me feel happy!
I must agree, that the current hunger system is a bit flawed, and the fact that most of the play time is spent searching for food, really makes this game not fun to play after a few rounds. But that can be easily fixed: all I have to do, is to double the amount of nourishment gained from the collected food, and increase the base hunger meter by a one minute, and that should fix it!
As to killing enemies, only bandits and other survivors drop loot, and the amount and type of the loot is completely random. Mutants are only there to get a lot of score early on, and to become a far greater hazard in the later parts of the game. Also, when you're unarmed and being chased by bandits, angered survivors, or mutants, you can hide from them! If they lose you from their line of sight, they'll go to the last position they saw you at, and if they won't spot you in 10 seconds, they'll give up their pursuit. Or you can just get them stuck on fences, that works too!
As to the minor changes, I am planning to change the item spawning system, not only to increase the amount of items spawned, but also to increase the variety of item types, since the current system of "specific items for specific locations" limits this variety by a lot, and the game doesn't benefit from it. I also might increase the item pickup range, just a bit.
Well, that was a long reply, but I think I got everything I wanted to say there. And again, thank you for this honest and detailed comment, and for playing of course!