Ok heres how you make a online rpg i will list this in steps
Lern Visual Basic (doesnt take long (month or so))
Lern how to use the WINSOCK API (this is for data transmission)
Lern how to use BITBLT and TRANSPARENT BLT
Create a basic TILE Map editor
Create a basic "ENGINE" to load maps and tilesets
then after you have player drawing up use winsock to send a "packet"(data) to your server program then have the server interpret that paket and say
If IncomingPacket = "PlayerMovement" then
Beam this packet to everyone in the game
End if
Something like that just says if player 1 moves show everyone in the game that player 1 has moved
Simple as that all up it will take you about 3 months to lern all the basics of winsock bitblt and vb
and to give you a little helping hand i have made an opensoruce Visual Basic pokemon game that demonstraites many functions needed to use in a game such as maploading 8 directional movement Scrolling and most of the basics
link here :
http://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?p=1600025#post1600025