Cheers Bruce, first and foremost, for me, it's the complete lack of player agency when taking samples with the scanner, on foot. I understand the "reflex game" was very unpopular, but I would personally prefer that to......... NOTHING!!!
I'm just going to say that one more time again....... NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!
An idea that was floating around, was while viewing the sample from the scanner, you could have to connect up matching 3D wire frame polygons (DNA molecules?) in a simple Elite style "bumper cars mechanic" using the basic ship steering controls, that could be brilliant. You could have "3 lives" so that it started very easy, so everybody could succeed, but the further you got into it, the more complete sample you handed in, and the greater the reward.
The other big thing for me, is the missed opporrtunity with the planetary heat maps (or whatever they're called now). I gather they originally had some logic to them, but nowadays you can look on Youtube for an explanation and THOSE folks are saying they don't really understand it. It seems weird if your ship's systems can say there's 3 biological variants down there, but it can't tell you where any of them are. I love the heat maps in principle, but the gameplay they represent is confusing and lacks challenge. I'd be fine with it being harder if it was more engaging. It ought to feel sciencey and cool. And again, in my view, it really doesn't.
I hope that makes my view clearer, I think what happened is, the plan was to expand Exobiology into something cool and deserving it's own Elite attribute, but with the various issues that came up when Odyssey was initially released, it got drowned (understandably) by other priorities.
Thanks for listening, and I acknowledge there's far more dedicated Exobiologists around here who will have considered viewpoints every bit as heartfelt as mine.
