Erenshor, the increasingly popular single-player MMORPG paying homage to classic MMORPG experiences, made its floor show debut at PAX East this year alongside Magic Spell Studios. Developed as a nostalgic nod to the humble open-world experiences that defined the genre we’ve come to love, Erenshor uniquely took a departure from most online games by encapsulating the essence of massively multiplayer online role-playing games, all without requiring being perpetually online, finding compatible players, and the crazy time investments typically associated with many of our favorite MMORPGs.
Erenshor has been making some waves as the single-player nature has garnered more than 30k in sales and has recently begun to skew overwhelmingly-positive on Steam. For the uninitiated, players in Erenshor dive into a fantasy world teeming with thousands of items, quests, and epic raids, but instead of having the company of other human players they’ll be met with friendly “Simulated Players.” These AI-driven companions replicate the bustling atmosphere interactions you’d expect from player-characters but with far fewer annoyingly human mannerisms like trolling.
However, you can’t play a simulated MMORPG without noting the community’s passion for multiplayer experiences, which has now led to the creation of an Erenshor Co-Op mod, available through thunderstore.io. Developed entirely by dedicated fans, the unofficial mod introduces several cooperative multiplayer capabilities, turning Erenshor into a right proper MOG. Now real players can team up, battle bosses, and explore the game world with you in your simulated world.
During PAX East, Erenshor’s Developer Brian “Burgee” proudly mentioned that this mod was an amazing achievement by the fans. When upon our respective returns from the convention, he had this to say of the mod and the fanbase:
“I think it’s incredible that this person got this project up and running so quickly, because the game’s architecture was not in any way set up to accommodate networking. They are a very talented individual.
I’ve definitely learned to never underestimate the modding community, they do amazing things and we as developers can hope to be so lucky that they choose our games to work on.
I can’t wait to see what else they come up with”
-Brian “Burgee”, Erenshor Developer
It’s important to underline that the Erenshor Co-Op mod is unofficial and will not receive official support from Erenshor’s developer. Nonetheless, this mod represents a significant step forward, bridging the gap from Erenshor’s original single-player vision toward a fully realized multiplayer online game.
If you’re interested in giving the mod a shot, key features of the co-op mode include player synchronization, enemy and NPC syncing, grouping mechanics, and a fully functional chat system. Groups can experience synchronized spell effects, coordinate boss encounters, exactly as you would in traditional MMORPGs. Additionally, players will have some UI improvements, health and mana healing spells for group dynamics, and several more multiplayer-centric features.
The mod is not without some limitations. The mod creator has mentioned features such as treasure chest synchronization, group chat, and trading capabilities are currently not working. There are also a few known bugs, performance hits with slow connections, and some issues with inviting simulated players with groups if they are auto-generated sims.
Now that Erenshor is out in Early Access, with 17 months planned to incorporate feedback and expand content ahead of release, it will be interesting to see where it goes from here. While official multiplayer support remains unlikely, the community-driven co-op mod bodes well for MMORPG gamers looking to try their hand an a “single-player” MMORPG with an option for a little more. You can try Erenshor yourself now on Steam with their free demo version.
