Alright, I started, and still don't get the point

Upon entering the world, I see this beauty. Thought it was pretty cool.

I proceeded to run around a bit. Hacked at a random tree and got 3 blocks of wood. Just ran around and that's it. Found 2 pieces of leather, and then I remembered Insani, Snowy, Jared, and Aegis complaining/explaining the importance of building a house cause night fall will screw ya. So I proceed to make a man cave (just dug my way in a mountain a bit. Place two blocks of wood to fill in the hole; only one in for the pic)

After that, I saw a Cow all the way the top of the mountain, so I hacked some steps in the sand all the way. I saw the cow, and didn't know what to do so I attacked it twice, and it fell off the mountain. I searched for it at the bottom but didn't see any remains (two more leather pieces were available, but it was the same spot as the previous two, so I think those just respawned).
Nightfall finally came so I ran into my man cave, put up one block so I could look out, and..... didn't see jack. Didn't hear anything either. So I went back outside to see the "dangers". I then saw a zombie

It was funny cause he was just hopping stupidly trying to get to my position but couldn't get around the hills to get to me. I then walked around and stuff so the zombie could actually chase me.... Pretty stupid AI

(this is my standing in the doorway just in case, but it just looks at me and that's it)

I just lure him further and close up my doorway so it's only one block open (like second picture) and just beat the living hell outta him as he he keeps on trying to get me through the hole. He dies and leaves a feather, I attempt to do the same for another one, but no such luck. Sun comes up and they all burst into flame, and I think it's safe to come out. I was wrong. I just had flaming zombies attacking me instead

But they eventually died after a minute of lulz.
As for day 2. I still have no clue what I'm supposed to be doing. My man cave is enough to live through the night. And I can do that in any mountain or surface as long as it's larger than my character

As for my runnings around, I find a desert, and started messing around with the oasis, and the game's water functionality.... look at this physics haha. (you see that spelling, Cook?)

I was trying to slowly flood my way down to see what kind of streams I could make (or see if the water keeps magically getting fuller and fuller) and ended up making some weird waterfall thing that wouldn't enter lower parts next to it.