(ot) CC2

[redwing]

I think im finally going to break down and buy it. But there's a couple of things i need to know.

1) I can't get the demo to play. There is some error (something like wrong cad or something). Will i be able to get the real thing working?

2. I've seen map makers where you can have a globe and move it around and zoom in on a small town. Can you do this in CC2?

 

[Eryx]

CC2?

I assume you are referring to Campaign Cartographer 2?


I did buy it and am very impressed with the results that it can generate although I wanted something easier to use.

For your 2nd point, I don't know. Never tried.

 

[Teflon Billy]

After trying about every two months for years now, I am still incapable of making Campaign Cartographer work.

It is maybe the least intuitive piece of software I have ever used (and I can use Framemaker).

Try using Autorelam for a bit first...it's probably not as robust as CC2, but it is free and you can see if you have "the touch" for non-intuitive drawing programs.

 

[Psion]

Try asking at the CC2 yahoogroup abuot the problem you are having. They are very helpful.

What OS are you using? I've heard Win2k has some issues, but there is a patch.

I have been using CC2 for a while now and find it very useful. It relies a little heavier on the right-click menu than most programs, but once you figure that out, it is pretty much a breeze IMO.

 

[jaerdaph]

I second what Psion said - join the Yahoo! Groups CC2 discussion list. Profantasy, the makers of CC2, is one of the best software companies around when it comes to customer support. The list members are extremely helpful and knowledgeable as well. If you don't like Yahoo! Groups, you can e-mail them directly from their support page on the Web site http://www.profantasy.com. I've always gotten fast, personalized responses.

I've been using Campaign Cartographer 2 for over 4 years now, and I really like the program. I also have the Dungeon Designer 2, City Designer 2, Character Artist, and Dioramas add-ons, plus a recent Symbol Pack add on. I don't have their Fractal Terrains program, but I believe it does the wrap around globe thing you mentioned. Fractal Terrains stands alone without having to own CC2, but you can import into CC2, IIRC.

There is a learning curve that's steeper than many Windows-based programs, but it isn't insurmountable. If I can learn it, anyone can with a little effort. You have to really like it though to spend the time necessary.

As for your install problems, nine times out of ten when a Profantasy program won't install correctly it is usually because any anti-virus software you have running interferes. You need to turn it off before you install.

Hope this helps. It's a great program if you are willing to spend some time learning it.

This reminds me, I need to start putting some of my CC2 maps up on my Web site...

 

[Hand of Evil]

I love CC2 but I am not even close to being a good mapper. It takes time and effort, if you don't spend those on the program you will be unhappy with it.

I do think it is worth what I have spent on it, it is a robust very detailed program. That allows you to be very creative with your maps.

As for the globe, that sound more like Fractal Terrains.

Now Profantasy has the best tech support in the world, they will work with you, help you and teach you the ends and out of the program. Sign on to the (very active) mail list to learn more about the programs.

 

[SoulsFury]

Buy it. It will be extremely hard at first but read the book and actually do the tutorials. Then do some maps for fun, don't try to do maps you will use forever at first. For your question about zooming, you could draw a whole world in one map, or you could draw the overview of the world and continents, link the continent map to closer views of the continent map with the regions outlined. Link that to another map that is closer in and so on until your in the bad guys hideout. I was having problems with CC2 and while I was figuring out how to fix the problem (kazaa had put a program on my computer that would cause it to crash), I tried autorealm. This is a decent enough program, but within 10 minutes I had given up and decided just to wait till I got cc2 fixed. Now that it is, I'm loving it. If you get it though, join the group. You won't regret it. Also if you use CAD, I found that it helps learning it faster.

Nik

 

[jaerdaph]

It will be extremely hard at first but read the book and actually do the tutorials.

Yeah, the tutorials are key.

 

[Maerdwyn]

You can do the turing globe/zoom-in thing, but you need some software in addition to CC2.

With CC2 only, however, you can do a projection of a world map and click to zoom in to various levels, all theway down to a city.

My (poorly designed) website has a VRML globe of my campaign world (done with Profantasy's Fractal Terrains), and World maps that click down to the village level. Unfortunatley, I haven't actually linked any towns into the map-web as of yet.

Spinning Globe:
http://www.gaiatec.com/maerdwyn/VRMLset.htm


World Map:
http://www.gaiatec.com/maerdwyn/mapsindex.htm

Click on Pedryfan (large island in the northern hemisphere) to zoom in on it. Then you can click on any of Pedryfan's four regions to zoom in on those. Someday, After this level, I link the towns in.

 

[Maerdwyn]

Soulsfury - BTW, thanks for bringing your Kazaa-caused problem to the CC2-list. Without the discussion that followed, I wouldn't have known about the slimy stuff that Kazaa was trying to do.