When I start a new game one of the things I dread most is trying to find clay. I have had some runs where I find it in the first 5 minutes of starting and others where after 4 in game days I still haven't found a single patch of clay. Since clay is mandatory to progress as you can't do any smelting without it, I feel like this is a massive flaw in an otherwise great game. Instead you should be able to make poor quality clay using a bucket (made from a log and a knife) filled with water and sand. It would only get you a few small pieces of clay and the pottery molds you make will shatter after one use if molten metal is added to it. This way players are still incentivized to find normal clay but can still progress if they have bad luck and are unable to find any.
