Well usually I don't give up playing anything .. given that I played Terra Firma Craft for a long time in it's early stages, but after 12 hours and 7 worlds (ignoring the jungle spawn, the arctic spawn, the desert spawn), currently this pack is unplayable even on normal, there are just to many things reliant on pure luck on your spawn
..stuff..
I haven't had a problem whatsoever getting started on normal. On hard it was a bit difficult, but that was more in the second 10 days when i was running out of food and hadn't built to take the miners into account.
I think it's a mistake to assume you need stuff close by and not travel. The only thing i want to encounter is sheep. Once i have a bed and can reset my spawn point, i run around for a couple of days looking for things. I like to leave most stuff in chests while i explore the area. Clay and lava for the smelter are the biggest variable, and of the two, clay is a higher priority because you need it to carry the lava. Berries and food are pretty widespread and if you keep moving, quite renewable. I don't try to grow anything at all, takes too much time for too little. Hell, once you have a bed, you can starve and just keep going. So for your points:
1. Don't stay in the first area. I would even leave some food right there so you have it incase of an early death. Move around. Harvest what you can. Lots of food actually.
2. Use the map, keep on the lookout for lava while you move. If you get clay, keep going for lava. If you find lava, keep moving for clay and come back for it.
3. Dungeon is a small bonus, but not needed really. And pretty common acually.
4. Clay is the only thing i think is lucky to start near. If you know the biomes i'ts in, it's not tough to find, might just mean some moving around. You'll soon have some helpful meteors to bring you copper and aluminum
5. Get tools first, you find gravel pretty easy either exploring or digging.
6. Yep, fighting is dumb. I try to run. Biggest priority is getting 3 sheep, and a bed in an elevated spot that gives me a chance if there are a ton of mobs nearby. Highest priority is getting away from that original spawn, since a swarm there is tough.
7. Use food wisely. Don't eat and let yourself starve at times. Save the food for traveling and getting work done.
I find the pack to be very challenging on highest difficulty, because you are slowed after death, making it very difficult to accomplish things. But on normal it's not bad at all. Just means setting priorities and not making mistakes. Or learning from mistake when you make them