Retro Remaster or Total Conversion? Discuss Your Dream Mods

I would immediately go for a **total conversion based on an old classic** — not just better textures, but new progression, different builds and systems that simply have more depth today. Especially for RPGs it would be awesome if crafting, skill trees and loot didn’t become completely trivial after the first ten hours.

My dream would be a remaster with an optional "hardcore mode" where resources, enemy scaling and builds really matter. No artificial damage sponges, but decisions with consequences. What do you think: which game would deserve a total conversion — and would you lean more toward nostalgia or radical new mechanics?

Enderal is exactly the benchmark for me as well: It uses the familiar Skyrim foundation, but thanks to its world, quest design, and progression, it feels almost like its own RPG. The fact that not every item you find is replaced by better loot two minutes later makes a big difference. IMO, a total conversion shouldn’t simply pile on *more* systems, but should integrate the existing ones cleanly.

Regarding Linux: Are you running it through Steam/Proton or the old standalone version? With larger Skyrim mod lists, I’ve often found that a different Proton-GE version and a clean prefix helped more than spending hours tinkering with individual DLLs. Enderal would definitely be a candidate where the effort would be worthwhile.

Enderal does a good job of showing that a total conversion doesn’t necessarily have to adopt every modern system. Often, a more cohesive world and progression than the original is enough. With a pure remaster, on the other hand, I’d be worried that in the end only the textures, lighting, and a few quality-of-life features would be improved—nice, but after ten hours it would still be the same game.

On Linux, I’d use the Steam version of Enderal through Proton if possible and use a separate prefix. The old standalone version is apparently much more finicky, especially with the launcher and old dependencies. If you try it again, Proton-GE and a fresh prefix would be my first attempt; I wouldn’t immediately rework the entire mod list. Did you try it with the Skyrim Special Edition version, or with the old variant?

That sounds like one of those Proton problems where you end up spending more time in the launcher than in the actual game… If you’ve really tried every Proton version, I’d also test with a completely separate prefix and the Steam Runtime, or take a look at the Proton log. Otherwise, maybe don’t sink too much of your life into it: Enderal isn’t going anywhere, and a Windows installation in a VM or on a second partition would be the pragmatic fallback if necessary. What error message exactly appears when you start it?

Content-wise, I find these kinds of standalone total conversions particularly exciting because they show that you don’t necessarily need a huge remaster budget. My dream would be an old game world with new progression, but with the original mode available as an option—basically two sliders between nostalgia and “I really have to plan my decisions.” Then everyone could decide for themselves whether they just want to take a prettier stroll through their childhood or let themselves be completely surprised all over again.

For the standalone version of Enderal, I’d also consider the version check the main suspect at this point. If the launcher doesn’t even start properly, switching Proton probably won’t help much. I’d try creating the Steam app ID or the prefix completely from scratch and launching with `PROTON_LOG=1 %command%` – if the only thing failing is the Skyrim detection, then the situation is pretty clear. Does a launcher window appear at all, or does Steam simply remain stuck on “running”?

As for the remaster question, I’m firmly in the “original plus optional TC” camp. That way, you can preserve the old atmosphere, while anyone who wants to can enable new progression and more challenging systems. For Gothic 2, that would be my dream: the same world and NPCs, but more factions, consequences, and genuinely usable crafting – not just slapping 4K textures onto Khorinis :D

For the Enderal standalone, I’d side with KlartextKai: If the launcher doesn’t even appear properly, the old Skyrim detection is more likely than a general Proton issue. A fresh prefix plus `PROTON_LOG=1 %command%` should show whether the EXE starts and only then fails during the version check. If that’s exactly what happens, a current Steam version of Enderal would probably be the much less stressful option—the standalone is simply from a time when Linux support was more of a gamble.

Content-wise, I like Tommi89’s “original plus optional TC” approach best. A remaster shouldn’t forcibly bolt new skill trees and loot spirals onto the old game, but should provide a clean foundation and offer hardcore/TC systems separately. Especially for a classic, having a toggle between unchanged original progression and reworked builds would be exciting. Which game would you like to see this in? Gothic 2 would be a candidate for me: the same world and atmosphere, but with significantly more consequences for factions, crafting, and character development.