When considering the addition and implementation of anything to a game, it is wise to first consider every way the player will be able to interact with the new addition, and preemptively dismiss/rework certain ideas if they are likely to negatively impact the enjoyment players get from the game, or make the players intentionally avoid interacting with them. One example of a failed design is the lack of early automated repair/building options in the base game. It is not much of an issue when playing the base game on default settings, however if you, for example, wanted to play with a huge research cost modifier in order to get to enjoy building larger-scale structures from the beginning of the game rather than building a small setup and rushing the QoL technologies, and at the same time, you like considering and setting up defenses against biters and seeing constant attacks, so you also use some aggressive biter modifiers, you're unlikely to have a very enjoyable time, as you're going to be forced into constantly running around the perimeter and repairing broken walls due to lack of other options. When you play with mods, the issue becomes even more apparent, as the overhaul mods not only prolong the game as much as or even more than moderate research cost multipliers, they also require larger spaces for setting up the machinery, which directly affects the effective defensive perimeter length. This causes mods like Repair Turret to become popular, when in reality, this should have been a feature in the base game.
While focusing on making the mod unique might seem appealing as a developer, it ultimately doesn't mean much if the players are put off by the lack of integration with other gameplay elements/ease of use, at least in my personal opinion.