Where To Begin? Making a text based RPG and have no idea where to start

[TheFury 0]

IT would seem that you do not really understand the scope of what your wanting to do, so i will offer you some suggestions based on that premise. Firstly, making a game, is not a trivial undertaking, you need to be multi skilled in many different facets, like programming, web mastering and how to run a server. So here is my list of things to learn.1. LINUX BASICS: you need to have a solid grasp of the basics of Linux, you need to know how to navigate about using the command line, where to things, editing files, svn/cvs, ssh and ftp. This is a BARE MINIMUM, you could toss onto that instalation of software and basic server configuration if you ever plan on running your own server/VPS, which, if your game is successful or you require features that most webhosts will not allow, is something you will eventually need. Also, FORGET WAMPSERVER, i would never recommend anyone use this, because it does not teach you PROPPER linux basics that your going to need to survive when your running your own server. Use either Andlinux, or Cygwin. Both of these install as windows applications but are fully fledged linux environments. I have used Andlinux for a long time now for the development of my game server, 60K lines of C code and growing.2. PROGRAMMING: If you do not understand how to do all the above, you will find it pretty hard with this part. All i will say here, is get some books, take some programming classes, learn math and work hard at it. This is by no means a trivial thing to do. I am self taught, have been programming for 10 years now, and im always amazed at how much i do no know.3. DESIGN YOUR GAME: This is something you should do before you even look at what tools to use for a game, designed out all parameters of your game on paper first down to the finest of details, by having a design document which clearly lays out all critical elements of your game, you will be more likely to have a game that is cohesive. A design document will also show prospective team members what your game is about and to give them a ready reference to look to when making decisions about new features. 4. INTERNSHIP: There can not be enough said about this, Before you start out on your own project, JOIN AN EXISTING PROJECT and learn some of the above skills. There are literally 10000's of games being developed by people on the web, and you can be assured there is someone doing something similar to what you would like to do already. So rather than reinvent the wheel, join them, most game devs are happy to take on interns, to show them the ropes, to teach them some basics and hopefully see their games advanced closer to a completed product.My last comment is do not give up, this is not going to happen over night, its going to take you 2 years before you have enough of a skill set to even start out on your own, and then it will take you 3 or more years to bring your game to a stage where it is ready to be played py people. My own game has been underdevelopment now for about 3 years, and hopefully by Christmas this year it will be ready for beta testing. Making a game is hard work, its slow and oftentimes painful, but if you do it as a hobby and at your own pace, it can be very rewarding.