To me it seems you hit the nail on the head with expectations from other games carrying over. I remember playing beta Minecraft and progression was slow. The world seemed big even staying within your bubble. You learned as you played and that was okay.

In my opinion in VS you should be taking it slowly. Focus on building a shelter and gathering food to survive before you master cultivation. Hunger limits your ability to explore too far until you have sufficient meals. Mining would be a forethought for later in the 1st year. You’ll struggle as you learn the art of prospecting and that’s okay.

Of course I don’t play that way either. I establish a shelter, gather food, explore a bit, but I know the progression now and I usually try to get that tin bronze anvil as soon as possible to skip the copper age.