I'm not sure what difficulty to try it on. For F1 I'll crank up game and combat difficulty to rough, but I'm using a weapon mod with F2 that specifically recommends normal mode. Shame your mod got wiped, Izual, that sounds like it would've been a lot of fun. I have the habit of getting bored when my gear makes me a killing machine.
I'm also not orienting my build around perks - I can barely remember the requirements for any besides Toughness, so that's not really a problem. I'm thinking about only using first aid kits and doctor's bags (Can you use those in combat?) - no stimpaks. And sticking with pistols, just for the hell of it.
Anyone got anything else?