Making Cool Maps

[Chaldfont]

I have been scouring the net looking for ways to make cool maps on the PC. Campaign Cartographer looks awesome but it is WAY too expensive!

Has anyone used PC game level editors to make maps or pictures for their game?

Are there any open source 3d design tools that work on a high level (I don't want to write OpenGL code--just render a nice 3d scene of a dungeon room)?

 

[Sodalis]

why not use screen shots of games that you already have- like sim city, or stuff like that?

I always liked drawing it out by hand, but thats just me...

 

[Darraketh]

I have considered using the map editor in a PC game and taking screen shots.

Now my question is, which games have the best map editors?

Would the publisher of said map editor consider tweaking it and releasing it to serve our purpose?

 

[Henry]

http://www.gryc.ws/autorealm.htm

Autorealm, Autorealm, AUTOREALM!!!!!

Autorealm is a great free tool for making accurate maps - while not on par with Campaign cartographer it is the best free map tool out there - and possibly the easiest too.

I can't help you on the 3D maps, though - but you might want to search the Sourceforge site for what Open source projects are available out there.

 

[Desdichado]

I've done it before with Heroes of Might and Magic III, but the scale is difficult to use if you want your map to be at all useful...

 

[Buttercup]

Autorealm is free, and designed with DMs in mind.

If you want to use the mapping utility that comes with a PC game, then try CivIII. If you can't afford that game, then see if you can find a copy of CIV II for cheap somewhere. There was an elaborate editor for that one too.

Other possibilities would be the editor that comes with Caesar III or Pharaoh, although those would give your maps a distinct feel of Rome or Egypt that you might not want.

Nah. Don't bother with any of those. Just go download Autorealm.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Wait for NeverWinter Knights! The mapping tool looks very interesting and easy.

But NBOS is not bad, same for Autorealm. I like CC2 but some don't.

 

[discjacker]

I have used the Unreal Tournament editor to make a dungeon that could be moved through in first person perspective. Although this took months of learning the editor and then at least 1.5 months making the level, so not really the best thing to use

 

[rounser]

Again with the Autorealm. Very easy to use, and basically exactly what I wanted out of a mapping application before I'd even seen the thing.

By all accounts, CC is an excellent mapper too so you can't go far wrong with that either...but with the money you save from not buying Campaign Cartographer, you can invest in a graphics tablet and truly get the most out of Autorealm...better option IMO.

 

[333 Dave]

AutoRealm I use also, hrmm. Good maps it makes, hrmm. Free too! Remember: With Autorealm, do. Without, do not. There is no try. Judge it by its freeness do you? And where you should not! Good program it is.