mapping programs

[KB9JMQ]

Wulf I think you are right about the user's abilities and which program they use.
I have used Photoshop for 7 years but all I can do is fix photos to look better. I cannot by any means make anything look artsy let alone a map. But I built a daily newspaper in quark for 8 years. Guess I am not and artist

Dundjinni just seems to be easy to figure out. I can actually make stuff with it.


BTW it only bogs down on my p4 2g laptop with 1g ram when I run quark and photoshop at the same time.

 

[BastionPress_Creech]

Dundjinni is one of the biggest resource hogs I've seen. Unless you have a top-of-the-line ultrafast machine with lots of RAM, you're better off just taking the time to do the tutorials for Campaign Cartographer 2 Pro. You'll be much happier in the long run.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

So I wonder if the disparity in folks who use and actually like Dundjinni has anything to do with the user's technical proficiency and expectations.

Wulf

While I'm not an artist by any stretch of the imagination, I'm pretty proficient with Photoshop and its ilk. That's pretty much what I've always used, various digressions with CC and others notwithstanding. But (A) Dundjinni is $50, vs. a couple hundred for Photoshop (although Paint Shop Pro would probably suffice at a similar price), (B) Photoshop is an absolute bear to work with for the uninitiated, whereas Dundjinni is pretty easy to pick up, even for the Powerpoint crowd.

I can whip something serviceable up in Dundjinni in minutes. Photoshop would take me a lot longer, and I at least know my way around the palette. If you're looking to publish maps, then Dundjinni isn't for you (and as I recall there are restrictions on using the program commercially in any event). But if its a half-hour before the group arrives and you need a tavern for that brawl you're planning, its a pretty good program.

It is a resource hog, though, and java-based. Not for the slow-of-machine. FWIW, I've got an Athlon XP 2200 and a gig of RAM, and it's usable.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Wulf I think you are right about the user's abilities and which program they use.
I have used Photoshop for 7 years but all I can do is fix photos to look better. I cannot by any means make anything look artsy let alone a map. But I built a daily newspaper in quark for 8 years. Guess I am not and artist

I blame Quark. That program will screw with your head and siphon off your will to live.

 

[loki44]

So I wonder if the disparity in folks who use and actually like Dundjinni has anything to do with the user's technical proficiency and expectations.

Interesting point. I certainly am not a professional cartographer and don't strive to be, and I work in social services so my computer training is limited. I've had no problems running CC at all and it's just a matter of putting in the time to learn it thoroughly. Having said that, Samothdm mentioned the fact that he'd like training for Fractal Mapper, which is a great idea but I'd like to see one for CC Pro. Does anyone know if there are ever seminars held at cons or wherever that provide instruction on these types of programs? I for one would make a special trip for a training like that.

BTW- Is Fractal Mapper different from Fractal Terrains?

 

[Hand of Evil]

Everybody has a different style and need in mapping, download the demos and play around to see which best meets your needs. With that being said, I like CC2-Pro, resourses and tech support and mail list I know I can get an answer quickly and helpful tips.

There are other programs also available, Dungeonforge tile mapper, Autorealms, NBOS Fractral Mapper, Photoshop, etc.

 

[Psion]

I use CC2 and Fractal Terrains and find them to be great tool. I never used CAD programs before using CC, and I don't find it difficult to use.

I have dundjinni. It's okay, but I cannot see using it. It's mostly a tile mapper with pretty tiles. It doesn't have the "documenting" richness or worldbuilding capability of CC2, and while I have seen it produce some very pretty maps, I just to not see blazing through the print cartrides it would take to print them. I do not see it as a practical product.

 

[Psion]

BTW- Is Fractal Mapper different from Fractal Terrains?

Entirely.

Fractal Mapper is a vector mapping utility by NBOS, a little like CC2, with a Fractal Explorer utility that will add fractal textures to your landscapes. It's alright, but I find it less powerful than CC2, and think that the "ease of use" and price gap it once enjoyed over CC2 has narrowed considerably.

Fractal Terrains is a stand alone world fractal mapping utility that randomly generates worlds at the touch of a button. It can export maps to CC2, as well as other formats like jpeg, html pages, and VRML rotating worlds. It can create a variety of map projections to your tastes.

 

[Glyfair]

I personally use CC2. Combined with the Forgotten Realms Atlas, and I can have a quick usable map for my game in minutes (if I need an Inn, I find one in the Atlas and customize it for my use).

I personally wish the Eberron Interactive Atlas was being done by ProFantasy rather than Code Monkey Publishing (I'd rather stick with the progam I know, rather than a new program - especially when I'll be expected to buy a new one).

I suspect a few people who tried CC2 would find CC2-Pro easier. It's a little more intuitive to a "standard Windows user."

 

[Ds Da Man]

I myself am a publisher, quite familiar with all sorts of cartographic needs. I know SteelWind is no technical slouch, and his "day job" (as I understand it) is creating Neverwinter Nights maps/textures/objects/etc. (That's two of the four folks from the other thread who didn't like Dundjinni.)

So I wonder if the disparity in folks who use and actually like Dundjinni has anything to do with the user's technical proficiency and expectations.

For the record, my machine is a 2 gig processor with 512K RAM, and Dundjinni doesn't "run" on this machine so much as "crawl."

In every respect it's inferior to what I can do with Photoshop. I might as well-- and in fact, I do-- just take all that great Dundjinni user art (which comes in .PNG format) right into Photoshop for layout.

There's absolutely no reason for me to suffer through Dundjinni's shortcomings.

For someone with less technical proficiency (and less demanding needs) I can see how Dundjinni might suffice-- but I'm building HUGE, detailed maps with many, many textures and objects. My collection of user art is about 1.5 gig, at last count. There's no way I could manage that amount of art inside the Dundjinni interface.


Wulf

I think thats where part of the problem lies. Many people that are technically challeged by the programs because of the so called ease of use, but they aren't usually that easy. I have tried CC2 and Fractal Mapper, and find them both "OK" but not great for a fast, easy mapmaking experience.