Wysardry

It's more like one of those "How long is a piece of string?" questions. In other words, unless specifics are stated, the only possible answers start with "It depends...", which is generally not very useful. Although the original poster gave an example (which not everyone is familiar with) for the approximate size, the level of detail, how much of the world can be directly interacted with, whether there is an existing frame of reference and the experience levels of those involved are also factors.

AnthonyD: Thanks. I think I have a handle on points 0 to 2, but I would need to work on the rest. I find 3 and 5 difficult to define, as they both depend upon 4. I'm more of a coder and technical doc writer than an artist or musician, so it is difficult for me to judge a realistic amount of content for a team of a particular size to create, let alone a team that is as yet undefined. I'm reasonably sure I would be able to handle the programming side, as we'll be using an existing game engine and I'm confident I can learn the scripting language it uses. However, it would not be practical for me to learn how to use a 2D art package, 3D modelling software, music composition etc. too. I'm not sure point 6 is an option, as I have a very specific type of game in mind and it also isn't easy to judge how determined other project leaders are. Steel_Wind: Most of your suggestions are easy for me to follow. Point 1 I can only hope will come in time, as it is difficult to seem credible whilst still at the planning stage. Point 4 confuses me a little. How would I judge when plans really were unrealistic if I ignored all evidence to the contrary?

Do you have any tips for the initial planning stages of an indie CRPG, such as recruiting volunteer contributors when there's little to show them?

I'm afraid that I don't know of any indie developer diaries that describe their progress from the very beginning and have completed a successful game. As for which game engine I personally would choose, it would be the Torque Game Engine (TGE), and in fact I am currently learning how to use it to create a CRPG. Your mileage may vary, however, depending upon your particular needs. The Torque Shader Engine (TSE) is not yet completed, although an "Early Adopter" license is available for existing TGE license owners. Both TGE and TSE already include network support, so I'm not sure why you suggested adding code from Tribes 2 (which is older). If you would like to see an example of a CRPG project being developed using TGE, take a look at "The Chronicles of Ny" from ClownKeep. It looks like they are making good progress. If you do decide to use TGE, I would suggest buying 3D Game Programming All In One by Kenneth Finney ($30 to $50), as it walks you through the process of creating a game using TGE, and includes all the software you need to do so (some of which requires a licensing or registration fee for long term use). If it suits your needs, you can then get a TGE "Indie" license ($100), and then a TSE license (TGE license + $150) shortly after that. You will also need a 3D modelling program such as Milkshape ($25) or Blender (free), an image editing/creation program such as Paint Shop Pro ($120) or the GIMP (free), a code editor (prices vary) and a C++ compiler (prices vary wildly). I think I've spent about $500 so far.