I've found that many of the elements in the game that others often criticize are actually aspects I really enjoy. The exploration is immersive and rewarding, the base building feels meaningful and creative, and space combat adds a nice layer of intensity. I also get a lot of satisfaction from crafting, researching new technologies, and customizing or building ships to suit my playstyle. The sheer scope of systems and mechanics at play keeps things fresh—even after over 200 hours of gameplay, there's still plenty left for me to discover and experiment with.

That said, not everything has landed perfectly for me. One of the weaker aspects, in my opinion, is the quest design in the base game. Many of the objectives feel formulaic or disjointed, and the reliance on fast travel between key points really breaks the sense of immersion and continuity. It often feels more like ticking off a checklist than being part of a living, breathing world.

Interestingly, I found the quest structure in Shattered Space to be much more engaging. It offered a better sense of pacing, more cohesive storytelling, and a stronger motivation to explore organically rather than jumping from one objective marker to the next. I would have loved to see more of that thoughtful design carried over to the base game.