Making a Good MMORPG

Hey, I've had some work with Java before and know a bit, maybe not enough to make an entire game, but enough to work with for now. I'm willing to learn anything, take expenses and whatnot.

My goal is to have an MMORPG that is somewhat like Runescape using Java. I know a lot of people probably ask this. I have a small team of people who are willing to work with a lot of things, one who is specifically graphics, one who is lots of graphics and a bit of coding, another who is good with creativity and graphics, and myself who is creative and great at coding (and picks up code really quickly if I don't know it beforehand). I also know a few people who could help if I needed some extra help (One who knows good programming).

All I would like to know is if some of you guys could point me in the right direction into any tutorials, programs, hints, whatever. I'd rather not work off of another game's code, but I will if I have to.

Just for now, I think I'd be fine with just something small and not online yet, maybe just a room or two. That way, I could start small and expand as I go.

If anyone is willing to help me out, that'd be great for me in so many ways. I really want to get something like this done, and have LOADS of time to put into it.

Thanks!

My advice is, forget the MMORPG for now, and start making little games, pong, tetris, breakout, etc. You are probably wondering how you will know when you are ready to create an RPG, or an MMORPG, you will be ready when you dont have to ask how to get started or ask for some tutorials to create the game you want.

Everyone says start small, and I agree to some extent. You need to make at least one simple 2D game to be able to wrap your head around what is required for making a game. But really, after that, I would just jump right in and start your game. Break it down into smaller tasks. Ask yourself what it is that you need to do, and what do you need to know in order to do it. Search the internet, and post on forums. The main problem with a large game is not really the programming skill-level required. The real problem is that it takes a REALLY long time, and you have got to have the endurance to stick with it for months and years on end. It may look like an impossible task, but if you do a little bit every day, you will see real progress over time.
Hope you find this useful!

well you did hit one reason on the head (it takes a really long time so they will see less little results to keep them going) but also you have to think of building those small games as steps to building your big game. You dont want to program your "big" game with sloppy coding techniques and have to start over because you set it up completely wrong.