[Ide]

I'll second that I've found Python easier to learn than Java, however for the OP, creating an unique and dynamic mud is quite an undertaking, that could (literally) take 5+ years to create even for a small team if they're doing it in their spare time, so don't be too frustrated at a slow start.

While you work on your mud I recommend doing some smaller projects as well from start to finish, even if those are just mods of existing games, or small games that implement proof-of-concepts for systems you want to use in your mud (for example, see the Gladiator Pits codebase in comparison with God Wars 2), I think that'll help enormously. The important thing I think is to do things from start to finish and get intimately familiar with the lifecycle of a project, from design to finishing. Finishing things is really important. Also there's no reason your mud shouldn't undergo several iterations, from simple to more complex, even if you don't re-use any of the previous code. Good luck!