What is it ?
This is a game, not real life...
If there is no main story, challenge, enemies etc then it will be dead quickly..So what is the point ? Travelling across universe and seeing planets with no purpose ?
Think of it this way.
Each planet has a set determined position in the universe. The planet you are given is a planet that you slowly unravel and learn, but here's the amazing part. That planet is a permanently saved seed that can be found by other players actively flying through the universe;
note one singular universe shared between players. The creatures are also randomly created through modular design, each with unique names and characteristics, Some are friendly while others may hunt you down. The "point" is documenting your found experiences and being able to prosper enough to make your way to the center of the universe. Why? No one knows yet. Your treadmill of gameplay, from what I've gathered from the info given so far, is that Hello games is trying to make the worlds that are created, connected in a sense. They aren't just a string of ones and zeros that can be auto loaded at your leisure; they are new places where people have survived, traded, prospered.
Hello games seems to be building the infrastructure for something that could be pretty great, but that's just how I feel on a superficial level. The game could release and bare no redeeming qualityies, but until then I reserve my judgemrent that the game has something special going on.
Real smart people doing something extremly dumb/
risky. Its exciting!