For me, it actually meant having to build in all the biomes, or at least positioning myself well for minimal travel time. I'd convert ruined buildings into local smithies. It made moving on to the next biome into an entire adventure, not an occasional jaunt.

Still, I can understand the frustration and I do like myself a big, centralized base. So I can't decide if I like it or not. Maybe it'd be better if more was done with boats so you could use them for transport more easily.