You need to find the code to gain access. That's okay, I like a bit of treasure hunting. It makes sense.  Then you have to wait for an aurora for the security system to be powered. That makes sense too. But — unless I did things in a rush and missed something — there is only one way to reach the workshop in the first place. And that way is, shall we say, not linear. To me it feels too much like a platformer puzzle, and a bit 'out of character' for The Long Dark, if you know what I mean