My friends and I are planning on programming an MMORPG and getting money out of it?

MMORPG - Massive multiplayer online role playing game.



Got any advice for us?My friends and I are planning on programming an MMORPG and getting money out of it?
If you are serious, you can start at www.nethercode.com, an online game programming school for 3D MMORPG game development. It is FREE but there are a lot of modules to learn to actually make a game. Two different groups there have taken the approach of assigning individuals to learn different modules to produce their game. The site was originally setup for a group of game programmers from a college but is now open to the public.





You can ask for help from the students there in developing your game because their instructor gives them credit for assisting with programming, character creation, database creation and project design. Good luck with your endeavours!My friends and I are planning on programming an MMORPG and getting money out of it?
As the others have said, there are a lot of other large companies out there with huge games, and it is going to be very hard to get your game out. Also, realize it will take many years before your game starts bringing you a reasonable income, if it does at all. However, that doesn't mean its impossible.





There are a few pieces of advice i have for you.





First off, play tons of MMORPGs. Learn what makes a game great, and what makes a game fail. What do people love about each game, and what drives people away. Learn the reasons for each element in a game. Learn the way each game is balanced, and why it works the way it does.





Second, find something original. If you release your own version of WoW, why would people choose it over WoW itself? If you can find an original idea that no one has done before, that is what will bring people to play your game.





Third, don't release a half baked game. Expect years of planning and paper based prototyping before you write the first line of code. Would you play a game released with game play bugs, balance issues, poor design techniques instead of a well funded and designed game? I think not.





Forth, breaking out of the mold is a good thing. Yes, some things are typical, such as Elves being self sufficient and secluded, dwarfs being short and good with mining, Humans being strong willed. These are commonly expected, but that doesn't mean u cant break the mold. When there are a lot of differences from what people expect, it gets a name for itself, and more people will hear about it. At the same time, however, you have to do this within reason. A giant dwarf? Gamers just feel that that doesn't make sense. How about dwarf farmers rather than miners? There is a good idea.





This are really the main elements of my advice to you. Granted i could also give you advice to make sure your team is really good at what you do, and find people who specialize in different areas, but the main things you need to worry about are right up there. These are the things that will make your game worth playing.
How are you going to get money out of it? How are you going to market it?





Right now, I play a game based on the Legend of the Red Dragon, and the programmer depends on donations. I get the impression that he doesn't make a lot of money, despite the fact that he has a really fun game that's hilarious to play. Anyone who's run into firebreathing kangaroos knows which game I'm talking about.





You will need to have a server for such a thing, which costs money. You will need to have a substantial subscriber base. Basically, just about everyone who wants to be in a MMORPG is already in one, or knows of several very popular ones if they want a new one.
Don't.


Quite serious, WoW is still huge, and no one has been able to successfully ';kill'; it, EQ is still around plus many others. With Blizzard releasing 2 more games in the not to distant future its going to be impossible without a multi-million dollar budget to get anywhere with your game.