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So basically it does nothing. Can't AA  a game that is nothing but pre-rendered 2D images. I mean you could use PPAA but that wouldn't really serve to do much either.

Writing in support of the proposal, although I also will have to re-read the replies as I basically just skimmed them now.

GIF shows that better. Open picture in full size for better distinction.

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I would definitely want the ideas of the rest of the staff - none of us are islands, after all - but as for my criteria, it all centers around the idea of building upon what exists, not changing it. An example of "essential" vs. "non-essential", aside from the KOTOR 2 example you gave, would be two different mods for STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl: The Zone Reclamation Project (ZRP) and STALKER Complete. The former is essential as it is a collection of bug fixes, quite necessary due to Chernobyl's infamous bugginess and instability, and improves UI issues, such as hiding the "save" icon because, for some reason, it's hard-coded to never go away, even when no saving is occurring. The latter, while including a now-old version of ZRP, also changes textures and, most importantly, core gameplay mechanics, such as adding repair kits such that the player can perform in-the-field repairs to their equipment, instead of having to locate and pay the nearest, comparatively-expensive repairman. The STALKER games are meant to be hard by FPSRPG standards, so this changes the game into something it was never meant to be. Also, there's the BG2 Fixpack mod for Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, which fixes many, many bugs, language issues (i.e. changes "fagain is horrible" to "Fagain is horrible!"), and unintentionally-broken mechanics in the game. (It should be noted there are additional fixes which, due to ambiguity on whether the particular bugs were intended by the developers, are clearly listed under "Optional, But Fun", which the mod does not install by default.) However, the above are the clearest-cut examples. There are some less clear-cut examples: GMDX (Give Me Deus Ex) for the original Deus Ex. It is a faithful expansion on the original mechanics of the game, adding things which make sense for an immersive sim like Deus Ex, such as cameras alerting guards upon seeing dead or unconscious corpses, ranged enemies being able to use their guns as an impromptu melee weapon, and spiderbots being able to walk on walls and ceilings, not just floors.

However, the mod does change the design of the levels for the sake of realism. While they're sensible changes, such as replacing an impossible T-section from the underground subway section with a more realistic curved version, they nonetheless change the original game. There are also certain additions which aim to remove the clunkiness of the original gameplay, such as the ability to climb up (mantle) objects as well as a perk system which adds such bonuses as making any physical lock in the game take only one picklock, albeit requiring "master"-level skill in lockpicking and a large XP investment.

Also, the game uses the High Definition Texture Pack (HDTP) and New Vision model replacement mods, which while doing an admirable job of raising the fidelity of textures and models while keeping the original artistic intent, nonetheless do make some changes not seen in the game. For example, certain textures which were not animated before are now animated, and others which had minimal animation have had major changes, such as TVs with anchorpersons having clearly brought the original character models into a 3D modeling program to more realistically animate them, versus the original's generic lip movements. Jagged Alliance 2's v1.13 patch/mod. This adds arbitrary resolution support, content normally available only in the game's standalone expansions, such as multiplayer and additional official mercenaries, and a massive variety of real-world guns (all of which are tied to the game's existing "Tons O' Guns" new game option).

However, the mod massively overhauls how shooting and line-of-sight is handled. For example, ballistics is now modelled in-game, meaning certain weapons, even with maximum experience in armaments, simply can't hit targets at certain ranges. It also includes some major changes to the game's base difficulty, making it more difficult than the original. It also allows advanced players to tweak the individual variables driving the game. Skyrim's SkyUI, which modifies the in-game menu and inventory system to work with a keyboard and mouse. While it does add filtering options and hotkeys, neither of which were in the original game, these options were (if memory serves) present in previous, PC-oriented Elder Scrolls releases. As these three examples demonstrate, some mods considered "essential" by the community both change the game and build upon it. Thus, the question becomes, in my mind, "How closely should a mod hew to the original intent of the developers?"