Should I make my own server? (General pserver dev questions)

[azeew 0]

Hi, all! I recently posted this on the rAthena's forums, but I'm looking for feedback, so I thought I'd post it here as well. Just a bunch of questions from someone that is really looking forward to start my own custom server, but at the same time I'm extremely worried it's gonna fail and be a waste of time.

 

I'm graduating in computer science, but I'm still really early into it. I know how to code just fine, and have been learning a bit of web development. The problem is that with the limited knowledge I have, I still don't understand anything that would be required in the creation of a private server. I have no idea how a game is separated between server-side and client-side stuff, and how they interact with each other. 

I'm mainly interested in making a "brand new MMORPG" inside Ragnarok, a whole experience, let's say. So that would be a bit harder than just following a tutorial and getting the server up - I'd have to create a lot myself. Here are a few other concerns I have:

1. I have this impression, which could be wrong, that adding custom features to a private server is a jury-rigged, kludged process. Meaning I wouldn't have total control over the game's code, and instead I would be mindlessly replicating stuff from tutorials and struggling to do anything past that. Please let me know if I'm wrong. It would be fantastic if it was the opposite. So, do you think after getting familiar with everything, managing a private server would feel similar to being a dev to the official game, meaning I could implement all kinds of custom mechanics and such? Also, would the process actually teach me general CS game-dev, database and server management stuff, or is it all very specific to Ragnarok?
2. Playerbase. As much as that sounds arrogant and naive, I'm not really interested in spending hundreds of hours to host a server to like 10 people. Do you think that, as long as the server is good, people will join? Keep in mind this "custom experience" may not be everyone's cup of tea... Maybe you think that in general the pserver "market" is pretty terrible as is and I'm destined to failure. Do let me know.
3. Costs. I'm not really looking to profit from it, but I most definitely, 100%, not willing to pay any costs. I can't local host at all, so I'd need to pay for a VPS. Is it unrealistic to expect donations that cover these expenses right at server launch, or any other alternative here?
4. Private servers are quite a gray area, I'd say. I know "gravity obviously wouldn't do anything", but in case they ever do... am I in deep shit? How "illegal" is hosting a private server really? Is worst case scenario just having the server closed, or should I worry about being fined and such?
5. This question is a bit more specific I guess haha, but do we have the new stuff from kRO's new 2019 client (like the skill visual rework)? The only server I know that has it is Shining Moon, but I'm not sure if they even run on Hercules, and if the dev got future content by himself. Having those new skill effects would be really awesome!

 

Welp, I guess that's it. Please give me your honest opinion, what do you think? Don't worry, if your opinion is "it's difficult as fuck and you'll drop it midway", do tell. I'm not looking for encouragement as much as I'm looking for a realistic outlook so I can weight my choices.

 

Thanks a lot in advance!