Well you need a client and a server. It's kind of like the chicken and the egg. If you make the server first, you won't have a client to test it with. But if you make the client first then you won't have a server to test it on.
My friends and I tried to make a 2D (in Final Fantasy VI interface style) MMORPG a long time ago, never finished it though.
First, we made a base client that could run -without a server-. Once we had a base interface, we removed the dummy server code and created a real server.
It was very basic, but it allowed the client to connect and you could interact on a small island with small town, and a few rooms within the town. It was zone-based like FFXI online.
So, my advice is start small, build your foundation and move up from there. But plan for the future. That was our downfall. The code wasn't designed to handle a large amount of connections. We picked a poor code for both server and client and will buried in Direct X issues.
Edit:
All this assuming you are a programmer and you know the basics of writing network applications. You should also choose a language that best fits your needs, such as which type of system you want to run your server on, which systems can run a client (Mac, Win, Linux). How big will the game become, will you allow third-party interface add-ons, will you track for cheaters/hackers and so on.
If you are not a programmer, I suggest picking up some "For Dummies" books such as C++, Direct X, Gaming Programming, ect. And in about 1-5 years you should have a strong enough knowledge base to build your game. Good Luck!What is the first thing you have to do to start making a 2d mmorpg?
In my humble opinion, you first need a good concept. Graphics will only get you so far, technology is great, but if you don't capture your players' attention you're not going to get very far, and all the time and effort on tech will have been wasted.
The second thing you need is good art. It needs to have a style that captures your players eye. I know this sounds like reverse order, but the game is build on the foundation of the story, and sold on the look.
Third it MUST function well. It can look good, have a great story line, but if it's not intuitive, and easy to play, if your players don't know how to get something done, they're going to throw up their hands in frustration.
I know you asked for the first thing, but I believe these 3 things are equaly important to a good game with longevity. And these 3 things can be planned well before you ever even touch a computer.What is the first thing you have to do to start making a 2d mmorpg?
This is what my plan would be were I designing a 2D mmorpg:
1) Concept: What kind of game do you want it to be? Concepts can be as simple or fleshed out as you want.
2) Details: Write out some of the details for the game. If it is a space game, what kinds of weapons, ships, and other cool goodies, if a fantasy RPG then what kind fo classes, weapons, spells, all that fun stuff. Etc. The more of this phaze you have done early on the quicker the development will go later. Though details are important keep them concept oriented. Don't try to plan out exactly every feature of the game unless you are absolutely sure you will have the resources to carry it out. Otherwise you might be in for disappointments.
3) Resources: Speaking of which. This can be interchangeable with #2 if you want to make this list first and design the details around what you can and can't do then that works just as well. The resources are what you are working with. What are you using to build the game engine or game (C#. Java, C++, Basic, Perl, etc). As Nick said, what wil you use for a server and client? Who is doing the art (2D art isn't hard to find or create but the Splash Page designs need to be done, etc). My personal favorite challenge...music?
4) Begin the drudge work. Depending on what you like doing some of this might not be bad. Depending on how many of you are working on it, everyone may have something they enjoy doing in the project. This is another personal challenge with me. I have limited resources for certain parts of game creation so my own games end up lacking in some degree. I also know little about the server and client world...
5) Debugging: A friend of mine that has worked in this part of the gaming world assures me this phase never ends. Don't get distraught about it, though. It never ends because no game works perfectly on every single machine. It is a good idea to have a system for reporting bugs. The major bugs will be discovered during Game Testing which is also part of this step. Once most of the bugs are fixed you can make a list of known issues and post them and work out "patches" as you go. Patches are almost a must for online games oyu expect a lot of people to play. Otherwise you have reinstalling the game everytime something is fixed or updated and that's a drag. There are some good patch makers out there, even some good, cheap or free ones.
Pulling it all together can be a pain. There's lots of resources that can do a lot of the work for you depending on how much you want to invest which would be equal to how seriously you want the game to take hold for the MMO populance.
That's my bits on it. Hope it helps.
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