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Anyway know a good tool for making fantasy world maps?

Scalenex
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Scalenex

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Not battle fields for table top games or hexagon fields for games, but maps to mark mountains, rivers, lakes, and the like along with borders of nations and locations of cities, etc?
 
I would very much also like to know some decent ones, has been using paint.net for my own maps, but that is very much an artistic challenge, not more easy than drawing maps by hand.

Recently I found this page: http://donjon.bin.sh/world/index.cgi
How useful it is, I am not sure hasn't really put it to the test....
 
I'm pretty sure you need an astrolabe, a chronometer, a sextant, a parchment, and a nice sharp 2B pencil (and eraser! There might NOT be dragons when you get there)

A boat probably helps, too.

And sorry, but isn't your world going to be a cylinder so as to avoid all those nasty Mercator Projection which make those Arrogant Worms think that Canada is Really Big.

 
That's an issue for the topology of your world. I suppose you could always just state that it's the case, or make your world into a torus shaped world, I believe it should work, and the added benefit, that with this shape it is possible to map a bijection on from a 2-demensional plane.
 
pendrake said:
I used it to make extra planets for those solar system diagrams I put in an end times thread.
Click to expand...

How is it in general, do you get a result that is satisfying and how would you rank it when it comes to the fantasy world generator?
 
spawning of Bob said:
I'm pretty sure you need an astrolabe, a chronometer, a sextant, a parchment, and a nice sharp 2B pencil (and eraser! There might NOT be dragons when you get there)

A boat probably helps, too.

And sorry, but isn't your world going to be a cylinder so as to avoid all those nasty Mercator Projection which make those Arrogant Worms think that Canada is Really Big.

Click to expand...
 
The Sauric Ace said:
How is it in general, do you get a result that is satisfying and how would you rank it when it comes to the fantasy world generator?
Click to expand...
It is easy. But all it will give you is maps of an entire world. It is fun to play with the different projections. It works off of random number strings. (Technically pseudo-random numbers)

http://apod.nasa.gov/htmltest/rjn_dig.html <= This page has useful collections of long number strings that can be fed into the generator.
 
I mean I usually just draw up my own maps by hand when I am trying to make a continent map or such like. If you're willing to give something like that a shot it is something I would try but it works best if you already have a rough idea of what you have in mind and need a quick reference.
 
Hyperborean said:
I mean I usually just draw up my own maps by hand when I am trying to make a continent map or such like. If you're willing to give something like that a shot it is something I would try but it works best if you already have a rough idea of what you have in mind and need a quick reference.
Click to expand...

Pretty much what I do too; this thus however takes a great amount of effort an skill to make a map that looks proper. I wouldn't say I'm good at it, though I believe a tutorial for how to make great looking artwork for maps, could be splendid. Any good advice, mountain, rivers any thing you found could be made through a method where they look authentic and also good?
 
I have taken a couple mapping classes for my major and can say A) graphing paper is your best friend for the rough version of the map. Set a baseline, how high is one specific feature above sea level? Are you dealing with some very high, very low, or just plain flat. B) Always mark north! That will make sure you are oriented properly on the page and not get lost with your drawing. Once you have that you are all set. I can write a better thing up for you later on in a bit of a time crunch right now.
 
Iskander said:
I've never used it, but I've often thought about getting this one: https://secure.profantasy.com/products/cc3.asp

It's not free, but it looks like it could be powerful.

[edit: Apparently I lost half a sen
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I looked it over. It's pretty pricey because it seems to require a lot of DLC to get the good stuff. It also seems focused on making highly detailed local maps. I am building my world from the macro to micro so I want a world map first.

I guess I should specify I'm trying to create a D&D setting that can in theory work for any edition though my favorite is 3.5 (no need to derail this topic discussing best edition please). I created an organic cosmology of the gods, and I created a wide array of myths that explains reality. For instances, characters level up through surviving hardships and defeating mighty foes because the nine gods overthrew their tyrannical progenitor in a great battle and gained a portion of his power. Since the Nine shaped the world, their struggle was imprinted on the world in a microcosm. The Dragons were the descendants of their surviving foot soldiers (who also gained power by defeating the progenitor god). Elves and Humans were created by all the Nine to rule the world, but most of the gods didn't like the compromises they had to make so they tried to make their own versions of perfect races working solo creating Dwarves, Gnomes, Orcs, etc.

I pretty much have everything I need to create a setting apart from the geography. Looks like I got a lot of things to try. Anyway my planned world is a cylinder, not a sphere. One advantage of a cylinder is I can make a world map on a 2D surface and not seriously distort size and shape like with a globe. I need a map that I make multiple detailed copies to show changes over time.

Also I wanted to experiment with a different plane system. If you walk off to the top of bottom of the "can" you would walk into the Void which is a realm of aggressive nothing. There is a Barrier between the Void and the material but it's not perfect. The Void wants to suck out life but it can generally only suck out heat (which is why it's colder near the poles). The Barrier between the Void weakens when the year gets closer to anniversary of when the gods overthrew their tyrannical progenitor and stronger after the anniversary creating the seasons.

In the First Age the world I'm going for a Pangea-like landmass. Then the Dragons had a big internecine war and a mad queen tried to harness a the elemental power of the planet against her enemies and accidentally released a rogue horde of elementals which decided attack everything in sight, especially each other, splitting the land mass into smaller continents (along areas where water and earth elementals fought). Lesser skirmishers created lakes, rivers, and underground aquifers Less common elemental fights created a few anomalies. Flying islands where air and earth elementals once fought. Fire and Earth to make Volcanoes. Fire and Water to create hot springs and geysers. Fire and air to create rains of fire (in place I'm creatively naming the Fire Plains). The elemental rampage was called the First Unmaking.

After the elementals wore themselves out, the gods created new mortals to replace the nearly wiped out Dragons. In the Second Age the Elves took over until they got bogged down in an internecine war and a mad king tried to harvest a piece of the dead progenitor god to make himself a god and accidentally punched a giant hole in the Barrier releasing a mini-Ice Age and a rampaging horde of Void demons. Landmasses were changed as titanic magics were used by or against the incarnate Demon Lords. Also terrain was altered by glaciers or Demon defoliation. The Demon rampage was called the Second Unmaking.

The Third Age is the Age of Humans. I'm not planning to throw in a Third Unmaking unless players characters get to epic level, but I would like to make historical maps to show borders between Human and demi-human nations changes, along with the wilderness.

To complicate matters, I want to make a start of the Third Age map and have the gods put three or four ethnic groups/races of Humans in disparate places and then I want to see them organically develop with semi-realistic principles based on my favorite non-fiction book, Guns, Germs, and Steel.
 
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pendrake said:
I found something called AutoRealm tonight. My anti-virus software didn't freak about downloading it. So I did and I took it for a test spin:

View attachment 16253

....and I drawed drew a little map of a pirate king's island. URL: http://sourceforge.net/projects/autorealm/

Might be an option. Might be too CADD-ish? IDK.

http://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/29819-map-maker/?hl=+maps++dungeon#entry441940
A thread on another good forum that mentions autorealm and some other options.
Click to expand...
Interesting... looks like a fun little program!
 
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