9 months . . . sheesh. :P
Best plan is to save up for the best armour you can buy at whatever stage you're at, then spend some time scouring for artifacts that add bullet resistance.
I've found stalker has taught me the art of using cover to my advantage, as wading knee-deep into enemies just ends up in me getting turned to minced meat.
However this could also be due to the bug/design flaw where NPCs are able to accurately hit you in the forehead from 200 yards away.
So aye, invest in some good defenses, an AK with a scope then start sniping like crap.
(alternatively you can cheat and go mod the game to all hell, which is actually quite fun.)
Buggy game, but an excellent one nonetheless.
Can't wait for clear skies to come out now.
