Like a survival game that - as usual - starts with you collecting sticks and stone to build a stone axe. But at the appropriate tech level, transitions into automation.
You discovered a new building material and want to build a castle from it? Equip your NPC's with diamond pickaxes and tell them how much better/safer life would be if they built a new castle from unobtanium.
And off they go.
To not just mine it, but also do all the supporting logistics like farming to make food/shelter/watersupply/defences for more villagers to do more work in the quarry to get more unobtanium.
You get to be the big boss and flit around with your special abilities of whatever suits your story.
While some people on HN are the boss or higher up - getting to be the big boss and tell a bunch of "smart" characters what to do is a fantasy for most people.