It's interesting you say they've focused on base building because (IMHO) they need to double down on this. It's come a long way but it's still so awkward to build bases and do basic things like flatten ground, snap a lot of base components to wood/cement/metal sections and so on.
Also they do things no one asked for like limiting teleporter range.
I understand your point about there not being a lot to do. I mean you're not wrong and if that's what you're looking for, I understand it may not be for you. To me, NMS is really about just chilling out and doing stuff. That stuff is largely self-directed like finding the right kind of planet ofr a base, building that base, getting the ship you want and fully upgrading it. You don't need to do any of that but if you enjoy that you can.
Being open in this way is a key part of fostering emergent player behaviour.
It's also completely OK to play it for awhile and then decide you're done. Personally I've played >200 hours. Every major patch changes and adds to the major storyline so it can be worth starting a new game to see what that's like.
Also they do things no one asked for like limiting teleporter range.
I understand your point about there not being a lot to do. I mean you're not wrong and if that's what you're looking for, I understand it may not be for you. To me, NMS is really about just chilling out and doing stuff. That stuff is largely self-directed like finding the right kind of planet ofr a base, building that base, getting the ship you want and fully upgrading it. You don't need to do any of that but if you enjoy that you can.
Being open in this way is a key part of fostering emergent player behaviour.
It's also completely OK to play it for awhile and then decide you're done. Personally I've played >200 hours. Every major patch changes and adds to the major storyline so it can be worth starting a new game to see what that's like.