First off:
http://wiki.project1999.com. It's just like Allakhazam and all those sites (IIRC they did DaoC too back in the day), but rolled into a single place.
Then, as a new player, you're going to want to spend a lot of time on this page:
http://wiki.project1999.com/Players:Adventure
It's full of guides (including one just for new players) about the game.
Finally, as for making a "farm character", that is an EverQuest practice too, but not a necessary one. Even the most group dependent classes like Cleric or Warrior can level up to 60 in groups without much gear (though some people may scorn untwinked Warriors), and then at 60 they can do groups for camps with valuable loot.
But, if you pick a soloing class, they can likely get to 60 quicker, and then farm loot on their own, so there is something to be said for starting with such a class.
Whatever you decide to play, welcome!