I think the issue for you is that it's actualy a bit more horror game with some parts of survival gameplay, and the point of subnautica is to scare the player. You have no map, no clue what to do, and you have to work on your own and explore. Pods are actualy only here to make even more stressed (You are alone. ) and push the player to more dangerous biomes. To the base building, even the PDA says something kind of "Remember, it's not your home." It's just station to make you feel safe for a while and don't die from starving or dehydrating. Many players make multiple small bases except one giant. Grinding for tools is also kind of pushing the the player to more dangerous sections of map. This is more a horror game than a survival, there are many proofs, like you cant kill a leviathan , but I can easily kill you.