This is a game which appeals to your desire to: 1) Make massive, complicated systems 2) Optimize things 3) Automate things so you don't have to do any work. I suggest looking up a lets-play (especially of early to mid-game). If what you see looks interesting, you'll love this game. Don't worry about it being in development - there is more than enough game here already. Note: it may be best to buy through the developer's site. While GOG does receive updates, you need to log in to the developer's site to get mods. You may be able to purchase through GOG, and then ask nicely (I haven't tried yet), but you don't get a key automatically.
... it's just the sort of thing that you would like. This is the sort of game which you either get or you don't. I have liked it (so far - full disclosure: I haven't beaten it yet, and I have not played either Zubmariner, Sunless Skies, or the online game). The mechanics of this game are not inherently exciting - it's just accepting certain text prompts. The characters are not particularly strong either. They are *interesting*, but you don't really get attached to them. Getting money can be a bit of a grind, although there are good ways around that. (Try getting a bit of money from port reports and/or taking salt from the Salt Lions to London, buy a few mirrorcatch boxes from Khan's Shadow, and do a few runs between the Cumaean canal and London.) Where this game stands or falls is its worldbuilding. The best way to describe the world of Sunless Sea is that Victorian London fell into a giant sinkhole into the Lovecraftian hollow Earth. However, because these are Victorians, they took one look at Cthulhu, walked up to him, and asked "do you have a flag?" If that sounds like fun, you will love this game, as I have. If not, Sunless Sea will just be frustrating.