I'm trying to get some input from the Greyhawk Cartographers Guild here at Canonfire. I like just about every map done here and have found them all to be very useful (even when I can't validate the source information used to create them). But, I am wondering,... What programs do you guys use to create them. Which has the hardest or easiest learning curve? Do you use Photoshop or a mapping software like Dunjinni or CC2. Do any of you prefer the flavorful "hand-drawn" ones?
Most importantly which gives you the most "Greyhawk" feeling? Do you like the Darlene map look, or do you like a more Scholastic look?
I'm looking to make my own, but I need the aid of seasoned cartographers to help make my choices (and cash) go furthest.
I'm not a member of the Cartographer's Guild, but I will give you some input which I hope will be helpful.
I've done a fair bit of mapping and I used the old "Map Maker" software that came with Core Rules 2 + Expansion, since the overlands it produces are close in "feeling" to the original Darlenes. Because those maps require the CR2 software to view them (it's not commonly sold or supported any more, since it is an AD+D second edition product) and the program has no "convert to .jpg or .gif" option, I use Photoshop to capture screens of the maps and then fit the pieces together.
It's a slow process, but it works. I used this method to create an updated version of the original Darlenes as a wall map which I had printed and laminated... it measures some five feet wide by three and a half high . (Can you say, "living room centerpiece"? )
I've seen and played with CC2 and, frankly, I find it too complicated. (I'm sure there are lots of others who will disagree, given the quality of the maps you can make with that program.)
There is also a freeware option you might want to look at, a program called "Autorealm" which has some of the abilities of CC2. However, it too is fairly complicated and I'm not certain if it allows you to import images for use in your maps. However, it's one way to go, if you are feeling experimentive (and cash strapped). If you want to locate the program, try this link:
For indoor, town or underground maps, I prefer another freeware program, Dungeon Crafter, and use it pretty much exclusively. It's a tile-based mapper that lets you import and use your own tiles. That one can be found here:
A second version is under development and is available as an alpha, but it look like slow going. In the mean time, the first one does quite well within its limits.
Hope that helps. If you have any questions, I'd be glad to hear them. _________________ <div>Braggi, Swain and Varlet at Large<br /></div>
There isnt a Cartographers Guild on Canonfire, just a few ppl who submit mapping, me included.
As to what software I use and why, well I have tried CC2 and I found it very cartoony in it feel, although it is quite good at drawing maps fast. I also dislike the styles used and the fact that CC2 smells badly of an Auto-CAD style operating system (which is the clunkiest and most anti-ease of use system in the world). But all said and done it is the most popular fantasy mapping program out there.
I do use Fractal Terrains alot, predominately through lazyness as it is fun to use and produces quick results.
As for the actual drawing of the maps, I use Adobe Illustrator. My reason for this is I prefer working in vectors not raster (as in Photoshop), it has great text and fill handling, works with transparencies well, and you can create custom fills too.
The process for creating a map comes from experience as to what goes where, and what looks good. By profession I am a cartographer, and I nearly always base my maps on real places and this works well for Greyhawk, where the setting is based in 'reality'. So if working on a town map I would try and find a real-world equal, for example I keep tinkering with a map of Niole Dra on and off, and this is based on parts of ancient Rome. I also used a real world fishing village for my map of Saltmarsh, here on Canonfire.
Err I seem to be rambling, so I will stop now, hope this helps. _________________ The only Good hobbit is a well-done hobbit.
Please pardon this newbie for digging up a thread that hasn't been posted to in just under two years. I couldn't resist since the map topic really draws my attention.
I'm not a cartographer, nor do I play one on TV. But I do know what I like in a map. What I would love to see in a campaign map is to get away from the quasi-Mercator style I see in all the area maps in RPGs. According to what I know, Oerth, along with Toril and Krynn, are supposed to be spherical, just like our own Earth. I think the maps should reflect that.
In the real world, if you have three individuals all standing at the same meridian, but at different latitudes, then had each o them walk to a point exactly 10 degrees west of where they were standing, you'd find that the one furthest from the equator would travel the shortest distance. The farther apart they are from each other, the more significant the difference will be. (For example, if the three people from my example were at the equator, 40 degrees north, and 80 degrees north, respectively; the one at 80 north would travel a much shorter distance to move to 10 degrees west of where he was compared to the guy at the equator.)
I'd like to see the maps done in a different projection, like maps in a real world atlas. I think something like a Conic or Lambert Azimuthal Equal Area Projection would work nicely for the Flanaess. For one thing, it would be more accurate. For another thing, it would better illustrate a three dimensional world.
Skech, if you haven't stumbled upon it yet, I've written quite a long and detailed article (more then I could possibly write here) explaining how I make my maps. ;-)
There are a few programs that have a globe option built in. Fractal Mapper is one of them, and has this feature:
"Globe View - Fractal Mapper can project your map around an interactive globe. You can zoom in and out on the globe, and rotate it in all directions."
I know there is at least one other program that has a similar feature, or that allows for maps to be drawn on a globe, but such programs have a bit of a learning curve. You can check out the full list of Fractal Mapper features here:
Currently I use Dundjinni for most simple maps and for drawing basic shapes. I then finish the maps using Photoshop. The more mapping I have done though, the more I use Photoshop. Bryce is another program that Anna uses, although If I recall correctly she uses other programs too. Anna's Greyhawk Atlas thread might have more info.
I also have the AD&D Core Rules program, which is the first mapping program I ever used. Two of the three mapping functions are very easy to use and are pretty much "choose icon and stamp it where you want it" in how they function, while the third is something like CC2 lite and does require some bit of messing about with to learn. I also have Fractal Mapper v6.0, but I have not used it much at all as I'm not too keen on the way it looks. That being said, I haven't really messed about with further altering something I've made using Fractal Mapper.
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. (Can you say, "living room centerpiece"? 
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