A More Interesting Early Game (In Defense of Flint Tools)

 In this instance, players would now begin the game unable to obtain wood or dirt with their hands; likewise, their mining speeds would be reduced, preventing players from immediately 'digging down' for stone.
 To progress now, you will have to collect early resources like sand, clay, and most importantly sticks from leaves and flint from gravel, which can all still be mined as normal.
 In order to obtain a crafting table to craft advanced tools, you would first have to craft a flint hatchet (2 sticks, and a piece of flint), and a flint mattock (1 sticks, and 2 pieces of flint) to mine wood and dirt respectively. As well, a single piece of flint can be turned into a flint blade for early protection.
*Wooden tools are historically present in the archeological record, so I think they should remain untouched.
This ultimately shouldn't effect the overall player experience, aside from maybe making shovels more valuable to carry, but should hopefully increase player engagement in the early game, making tools truly feel like an accomplishment that provides immediate power.