Challenges: every 3-5 days the Kitty High Command of the Feline Expeditionary Force would send you a challenge du jour, like:
- gather 10 plants,
- build 3 water collectors,
- build 5 shovels,
- drill 20 rocks,
- drink 7 bottles of water,
- research 3 artifacts,
- stay above 90% fed all day,
- travel at least X distance,
- travel to a point on the map,
- reveal at least X new area on the map,
- don't use any tools all day (no shovel/drill/axe),
- DON'T travel too far away from current location,
- ...
All numeric values would slowly increase over the course of the game, building up difficulty. If the challenge is met on that day (limited time only!), there is a reward - player can choose one of, say, 3, randomized possibilities:
- supply drop: a crate with some raw materials (waters, metal bars, seeds, air, ...),
- base module drop (e.g. floodlight or water collector early in the game, garage or big battery later),
- decorative items for base - added to a bare habitat module, with graphics based on / reused from artifacts (so cat-themed),
- weather forecast,
- satellite survey (opens map and reveals some undiscovered area, highlighting artifacts and stuff),
- cool suit upgrades:
- all-around night light,
- infrared night vision filter (high contrast green),
- vehicle locator (adds a special symbol to the navigation overlay circle),
- bring-the-vehicle-to-me autopilot,
- jump module (jump over rocks),
- sprint assist (for limited time, uses up energy),
- more suit colors/patterns/textures,
- assorted cosmetic items for spacesuit (image on belly, special helmet shapes, different tracks in the dirt, hats, YES, I SAID HATS, EVERY GAME HAS HATS NOWADAYS, THERE'S NO SHAME IN IT),
- doorbell sounds for airlock (instead of default hiss),
- bling for vehicle (think fuzzy dice and go-faster stripes),
- ...