>I play in survival mode mostly to make the world feel more grounded, but I sleep every night and rarely explore caverns.
I feel like that's what makes it feel so satisfying, engaging, and "real". You sleep every night and do only the "peaceful" world-building kind of things. But even when you sleep, you know there is still a whole world of caverns and action out there happening, even as you are ignoring it, that you can glimpse into and participate in whenever you want. Which is what makes it really engaging and believable, as the world goes on even without your participation.
Imo this is the same effect that makes some movie or book universes feel more "real" (but is achieved in different ways than with videogames, due to the medium itself). Their universes are built in such a way, it makes you believe that the world out there is still going on, even after you turn the TV off or close the book.
I feel like that's what makes it feel so satisfying, engaging, and "real". You sleep every night and do only the "peaceful" world-building kind of things. But even when you sleep, you know there is still a whole world of caverns and action out there happening, even as you are ignoring it, that you can glimpse into and participate in whenever you want. Which is what makes it really engaging and believable, as the world goes on even without your participation.
Imo this is the same effect that makes some movie or book universes feel more "real" (but is achieved in different ways than with videogames, due to the medium itself). Their universes are built in such a way, it makes you believe that the world out there is still going on, even after you turn the TV off or close the book.