Just got started (Maybe 5 hours in) and I usually do my first run on Normal mode. I don't roleplay other than to think of what the character's motivation in the main story is, and I usually try to be the good guy. I mix up exploration/wandering with Fast Travel, depending on what I want to do. So far I don't have a lot of interest in the settlement parts of the game, but that may change as I get more familiar with it. Once I get a good feel for how the game plays I'll probably up the difficulty to Hard or higher.

I play on normal (started a survival playthrough after i finished the majn story and loving the extra challenge), i keep fast travel to a minimum but sometimes i just dont want to walk to my settlememt just to drop my junk.

I roleplay hard on these types of games and think it just makes them way more enjoyable. My main character is a chaotic good character (understands there are necessary evils to achieve the greater good), he also only helps paying people (its nice to help but i also need to make it out there!) So im kind of a mercenary of sorts. I also play him as a cowboy way of thinking, so guns solve most of the arguments.

I also always cook my food, raw mutt hide? Ewwww...

As for saving, i save at each new area and when i feel ive gotten far in the world, so pretty often

My character build is run and gun tank. Lots of toughness, gunsligner, moving target and a bunch more, im currently level 40.

I decided to go with a sniper-scout build who relies on VATS abilities and is a skillfully engineer, meaning all equipped items are modified. I'm at level 27 so not that far in but enough to venture south a bit.

True dedication to neutrality, right here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxK_nA2iVXw

I definitely rp. Funny, when I made my character, as is often the case, I made a female because if I have to stare at an ass for hundreds of hours I want it to be one I can admire, lol. That trivial, superficial decision has got me now in the shoes of a young mother.. My wife thinks it's funny. She definitely has a lot to say on my views and choices- she's more interested in what I do in this game than in previous Fallouts actually. I had a different experience in mind when I built this character. I feel more responsible for her, and her integrity. Her channeling her loss through helping others rebuild, rebuilding the ruins of her neighborhood and her home.

The first electric I installed in Sanctuary was to put working lights around Shaun's cradle.

I always play on normal the first time through any RPG as I prefer to focus on story/exploration/characters that first run rather than worrying too much about stats or spending tons of time in combat. Future playthroughs I'll either up the difficulty or download some hardcoe and survival type mods (since I don't like how harder settings turn people into bullet sponges).

I do roleplay in the sense that I headcanon a background and personality for my character, and try to fit her decisions and the things she says into it. I chose neutral among the options, but she's leaning more toward chaotic good as she progresses through the story. She's willing to help people out, but expects to get paid, and isn't above swiping a few bullets or caps to help out her cause or taking jobs that are morally ambiguous if the money's good. She did just join the Railroad though, so it'll be interesting to see how her character develops as she starts fighting for something other than herself.

I save a lot, I don't fast travel unless I'm super stuck or super lost (I spent like ten minutes once circling Goodneighbor without finding the entrance and finally said 'screw it'). Buildings settlements is fun, but I haven't done it much as I prefer to do other things.