Next week, the MMORPG Erenshor will launch on Steam. The special thing about this online role-playing game: it is an MMORPG for a single player. Only the player character is a real person; all other avatars in the world are system-controlled NPCs that pretend to be real players.
How does the concept work? Erenshor is the passion project of Brian “Burgee”, who has been working on his MMORPG simulation almost every night for the past four years. He draws his inspiration from EverQuest, one of the original MMORPGs.
The world of the MMORPG is completely simulated by the computer. Any fellow players fight, level up, and loot like real players, but they are only so-called “SimPlayers” controlled by the system.
The unique concept of the MMORPG is designed to provide players with the perfect MMORPG experience by presenting them with a world that always adapts to the desires, times, and needs of the player. This completely abolishes the typical schedule that is now commonplace in MMORPGs, and “fellow players” can be found for all activities at any time of day or night.
Here you can watch the trailer for Erenshor:
Uncertainty Among Players
How is the idea being received? On Reddit, some genre fans are discussing the new title. While some find the idea good, others criticize the system with the AI fellow players on principle.
The user NakedGoose describes his experiences with the game’s demo on Reddit: “I played the demo and found it fascinating. But it felt a bit like The Truman Show. All the other ‘players’ were so nice and helpful that it felt like a fever dream. Cool concept, I’m sure it will appeal to some, but I can’t imagine pretending to be social in a game with full AI.”
User Aerallaphon also had fun with the demo on Reddit: “The demo of the simulated MMO was a lot of fun, and my family is already looking forward to playing it. The NPC players are more polite and engaged than many real people in games these days; it feels like the days before voice chats. […]”
Genre fan GentleMocker disagrees on Reddit: “I still don’t understand the appeal of ‘MMO without players.'” Facelessroids explains to him why it’s so appealing: “Have you played an MMO? The worst thing about them is the players.”
Will there also be bad NPCs? In response to this question, the solo developer behind Erenshor answers personally. He writes on Reddit that he experimented with “bad players” and the feedback he received was mostly negative. Therefore, there will be no “bad” NPCs.
Anyone still unsure whether an MMORPG without real players can work can try the free demo of the game on Steam.
With over 35 areas, 1,000 items, and four playable classes, the solo MMORPG already offers plenty of content from the start to ensure fun and fascination even without human players. Other MMORPGs require large updates for this: Amazon Games celebrates a “significant influx of players” for the latest MMORPG on Steam
