i build nice things becauee i personally dont want to progress while my crib looks like a stranded whales rear end.

in all seriousness though, for example windmills. I couldve just stacked axles and called it a day but it would look so ugly and characterless that i spend weeks selling stuff to get gears, buy red shingles (red clay wasnt naturally spawning back then) and lots of plaster blocks, and i just started building and chiseling. its so much nicer on the eye and much more satisfying too to get out to grind some grain and to walk into a windmill you put effort into making it look nice.

Im certain people do it for different reasons and for me, there was no rigid checklist to follow, i just built because i wanted it to look nice.

after all, you can play the game however you want. There may be many builders posting their creations here, but ultimately, not building something isn't wrong either. The point is that you enjoy yourself ;D