Empyrion is a fantastic example of this too. 99% of the game for however many years has JUST been foundation and ship construction mechanics.
It's to the point to where modders had to essentially do all the work of actually creating a solid story, campaign, and galactic setup in a thing called Reforged Eden.
And even then, it's still only half a game with a piddling of a story (beyond the sandbox-survival-build-grind).
Empyrion is a fantastic example of this too. 99% of the game for however many years has JUST been foundation and ship construction mechanics.
It's to the point to where modders had to essentially do all the work of actually creating a solid story, campaign, and galactic setup in a thing called Reforged Eden.
And even then, it's still only half a game with a piddling of a story (beyond the sandbox-survival-build-grind).