Been playing the heck out of planet crafter. Definitely recommend if you want a chill survival game that has some idle mechanics. Number go up while you run around dealing with other things.
I want something chill, that's not grinding. I wanted to like Pal World, but the pace is so slow. Same with Ark, love the concept, fuck having to log in every day to feed dinosaurs.
Oh there can be so much walking back and forth in planet crafter, which could be considered grinding in a way. It does get exhausting, but late game that's changing a bit and it's kind of part of one of the main heth meters to watch.
I want to love the idea of ark, but I'm 100% with you. I can't play every day, so it's kind of a non starter.