Narikai

Yea something aint right. I can't seem to hit them with the mint mallet anymore but the spider fang and insect axe still work. Those are the only weapons/tools I have on hand at the moment, haven't tested the ones you mentioned.

Idk about Stranded Deep but Ark certainly has the option. bDisableStructurePlacementCollision=true. There's nothing wrong with providing the players with the options to play how they want to play. (Especially when PvP isn't a thing.) Adding a similar toggle to Grounded hurts nobody and helps people like OP.

That's a LOT of effort (on the devs part) when a simple toggle to be used at the host's discretion would suffice. Almost every sandbox survival has these options accessible in one form or another. They should provide it in Grounded as well.

Some modders are currently looking into the possibility of outright disabling this restriction (A common mod/setting for just about any survival game), but I agree that the option should be supported by the devs. Especially since there is no PvP and it doesn't seem like PvP is going to be on the roadmap either. Double especially since you can already break the system and bypass these restrictions & support requirements anyway.

The differences are how the data is handled and subsequently how it is represented to the player. In OP's example the player would apply skins (with perks to match, as to avoid issues like the 3pc HumanAnt trait), and in your example you swap stats to retain the visuals and perks. The former allows players drag 'n drop armors (or skins), while the latter requires you to "learn" an additional thing to achieve the same effect.

Vanity. Plenty of games allow you to skin equipment for additional customization. There's often a meta for your given playstyle and strictly tying the visuals of an outfit to its stats means everyone looks the same. (This has always been a pet peeve of mine.) The only issue I see with this becoming a feature in Grounded are the bonus perks like: Ant Armor's passive to make Warrior Ants non-hostile, but you've skinned it look like a Koi set.

The Grass Wall and Sturdy Wall both require 4 grass planks but sturdy also requires 1 weed stem. The Stem Wall doesn't use grass planks. I'd like to see this added it'd be a nice QoL improvement. Maybe via an Upgrade Tool, like the Repair Tool but for upgrades.

Less random generation and more flipping a coin. You either get a hotdog or apple core. Maybe they'll add more items to that list though.

I don't think it can actually be downloaded yet. They said they'd provide the link when it's ready.

Tuned Wolf Spider hearing and investigation AI to creep on the player less frequently.

Depends on your definition of cheese. 1v1 I use an Insect Bow with venom arrows (3-5) before I commit to melee with a Mint Mallet. Parry when possible, block when you can't, and the fight is usually over in a minute or two. Early game just avoid them, but once you're geared they're really not that big of a deal. 4v1 I assumed would be easier but after digging around the files a bit I noticed a .uasset that hinted toward scaling enemies by # of players. So maybe 1v1 is the "easiest" way to do it?

Cuddly Creatures. Who could possibly be afraid of this lil fella:

A garden snake would be a viable addition. Even at scale it wouldn't be too big. (and they could take some liberty with scale and shrink em a bit)

I'd like the ability to dual wield 1h weapons simply due to their durability being equivalent to a wet roll of toilet paper...

Good analogy. We don't need an ARK-like taming system to give aphids/ants/bees/water striders utility when a simple stick and carrot would suffice. Combine that with AI behaviors/reactions and you could do a lot, with very little, to achieve the sense of taming something. Even if it's only temporary. I have a feeling things are going to get a little techie though given the story. Probably not like ARK what with bombardiers as turrets but like actual tech. Resources and recipes hint toward things going in that direction.