I love mods that completely transform a game into something new. I'm talking about total game transformation mods that change the genre, art style, or core premise of the original game. What are the most impressive examples of total game transformation you've seen? I'm especially interested in mods that are so comprehensive they feel like entirely different games built on the same engine. Which games have the most potential for this kind of total game transformation?
The most extreme total game transformation mod I've seen is The Nameless Mod" for Deus Ex. It's a completely new game built in the Deus Ex engine with original story, characters, and setting. Another is "Nehrim" for Oblivion - it changes the fantasy setting to dark fantasy with completely new mechanics. These total game transformation projects are basically new games that happen to use an existing engine.
I love mods that do total game transformation by changing the genre. There are mods that turn Skyrim into a survival game with hunger, thirst, and temperature systems. Or mods that transform Civilization into a completely different type of strategy game. The most impressive ones are when modders add features that the original engine wasn't designed for, like adding real-time combat to a turn-based game.
Games with modular engines have the most potential for total game transformation. Source engine games are great for this because the engine is so flexible. I've seen mods that turn Half-Life 2 into a puzzle game, a horror game, even a racing game. The Garry's Mod community has created some insane total game transformation projects that barely resemble the original game.