Need to create a water world.

[Blue Ghost]

I need to crank out a water world map for publication. Can someone point me towards the right tools?

This has to be something for sale, not for a one off gaming session.

thank much in advance

 

[aramis]

I need to crank out a water world map for publication. Can someone point me towards the right tools?

This has to be something for sale, not for a one off gaming session.

thank much in advance

The industry standard, last I heard, is Campaign Cartographer 3 and/or Fractal Mapper, fed through to Photoshop, and then to Adobe Creative Suite.

That said, there are better tools, but they are not as easy to work with. (And neither of those is simple...)

GIMP or Photoshop are excellent, but if you want to work with outline based, Inkscape or EasyDraw are also decent choices. (Both Inkscape and Easydraw have hex grid overlay options.) In both sets, the free one isn't nearly as easy to use, but is just as robust in features. Note that Easydraw has several different price points, and features go up as the price does.

 

[Blue Ghost]

Thanks. However, I specifically need a geodesic world map. I guess I just have to create one.

 

[kilemall]

Thanks. However, I specifically need a geodesic world map. I guess I just have to create one.

The Traveller add-on to CC3 specifically creates our geodesic maps out of UWPs. It's called Cosmographer.


Here is an example of what it can create-

It can also do your starships, systems, and subsector maps, with all manner of purty.


If you want a 'natural' map of your planet, I'd consider the Fractal Terrain add-on.

 

[aramis]

It's worth noting that the output can be hex-adherent or not, as desired, by setting the correct parameters... but there is a steep learning curve on ALL the mentioned tools.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

YouTube probably has videos for making them, using free software.

 

[JimMarn]

Fractal Terrains is a stand alone program. It can output png files using the Cosmographer Traveller template setting. Under the File menu, Export World -> Cosmographer template.

Sliders under Map menu, World Settings, Primary tab you can set amount of ocean, land size, and roughness. A new random number seed changes the world.

My Traveller site is full of them, 1265 planets. I don't know how many are water worlds, but go ahead and grab one. Most are 1200 pixels across.

I replace the one you grab with a new one, no problem.

FT3 is very easy to use.

 

[kilemall]

Fractal Terrains is a stand alone program. It can output png files using the Cosmographer Traveller template setting. Under the File menu, Export World -> Cosmographer template.

Sliders under Map menu, World Settings, Primary tab you can set amount of ocean, land size, and roughness. A new random number seed changes the world.

My Traveller site is full of them, 1265 planets. I don't know how many are water worlds, but go ahead and grab one. Most are 1200 pixels across.

I replace the one you grab with a new one, no problem.

FT3 is very easy to use.

FT doesn't have an option to map to the Cosmographer maps or vice versa?


Like start a world under FT and map it out on Cosmographer?

 

[Blue Ghost]

Thanks for the replies, but I need something like the Mithril map that came with the starter edition, that kind of quality.

I'll have to cook one up myself.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

Thanks for the replies, but I need something like the Mithril map that came with the starter edition, that kind of quality.

I'll have to cook one up myself.

I've never seen it. Good luck.

 

[coliver988]

FT doesn't have an option to map to the Cosmographer maps or vice versa?


Like start a world under FT and map it out on Cosmographer?

Sadly, no. There is a fractal world generator you can buy w/Campaign cartographer and that will export to the world templates. Unless the fractal world generator you are talking IS that one, in which case, yes, yes it does.

I have a few world generators I play with. Some are fractal, some are not. I even got the Cosmographer add-on for Campaign Cartographer but so far have not been overly impressed with it (although I did just figure out the subsector bit, so perhaps it is just user issues. Added a subsector to the images as a test).

If you poke around the gallery you can see various attempts I've made with Traveller-style maps and map generators. Some are fractal, some are not. Generally done w/free software. And a lot of time...

 

[Fovean]

Since it’s a water world, do you really need the standard icosehedral world map? Perhaps you can get away with doing the interesting areas as inset maps on a standard hex grid. Seems like it would be much easier to accomplish and still get the job done.

 

[Blue Ghost]

We'll see. I did a real super rough map last night with some points of interest. But I'm still waiting to hear back from some people.

 

[JimMarn]

FT doesn't have an option to map to the Cosmographer maps or vice versa?


Like start a world under FT and map it out on Cosmographer?

I can export a world in FT3 so the output is an icosahedral world, using the Traveller grid. Thats what I have on my site linked in my .sig. Edit it in CC3/CC3Plus. While the FT3 maps can be edited in FT3, I don't like doing it as I became used to CC2 then CC3 before I bought the Cosmographer add-on.

You can also load up CC3/CC3Plus, click on the Cosmographer icon to load that, then make a map using several methods. 1) Local Imperial or metric, 2) satellite style map, 3) or world Imperial or metric. Some of these use hexagon symbls, some you just make a large continent of green or desert, and then place symbols on top of that. Yu can make a world with continents using this method. And then make smaller maps to show the local area around a downport.

Since I have all add-ons, and Annual issues, I'm not certain what comes with just plain Cosmographer, but it should be listed on the Profantasy site. I have seen planets turned out just using Cosmographer.

Annuals are a year's worth of style packs with fills and symbols, first of the month is when they come out. There are Annual issue samples that are free and fully functional on the Profantasy site. When you buy them, you pay for 12 issues, one download per month. Ones from previous years can be downloaded as one large zip file.

 

[JimMarn]

info

Sadly, no. There is a fractal world generator you can buy w/Campaign cartographer and that will export to the world templates. Unless the fractal world generator you are talking IS that one, in which case, yes, yes it does.

I have a few world generators I play with. Some are fractal, some are not. I even got the Cosmographer add-on for Campaign Cartographer but so far have not been overly impressed with it (although I did just figure out the subsector bit, so perhaps it is just user issues. Added a subsector to the images as a test).

If you poke around the gallery you can see various attempts I've made with Traveller-style maps and map generators. Some are fractal, some are not. Generally done w/free software. And a lot of time...

Stop on by the Profantasy forums, lots of folks there to help.

I used FT3 to turn out 1264 worlds, and Cosmo to create one hex symbol map.

Here is the one I made with the hexagon mapping in Cosmo.

http://travellergame.drivein-jim.net/articles/4/planet-kran-now

All of the rest were made with FT3. Brought up ito CC3/CC3+ and added a world name.

 

[coliver988]

info

Stop on by the Profantasy forums, lots of folks there to help.

I used FT3 to turn out 1264 worlds, and Cosmo to create one hex symbol map.

Here is the one I made with the hexagon mapping in Cosmo.

http://travellergame.drivein-jim.net/articles/4/planet-kran-now

All of the rest were made with FT3. Brought up ito CC3/CC3+ and added a world name.

Thanks. I've poked a bit in the forums and have been doing a few of the tutorials. There is a fairly steep learning curve to making nice maps in any system, and I've only just started messing with CC3. I may get the annual - I did the Bundle of Holding thing and got a bunch of stuff but I am not using it enough yet to justify the cost. But once I do...

 

[JimMarn]

Profantasy's software is based on the FastCAD software engine, so there is a bit to learn. The tutorials get you used to the program's interface.

My maps are more for gaming. There are several folks in the forums who do professional maps and book illustrations.

For my advanced dungeons and dragons world, I have made over three thousand maps. Some with CC2, which I have mostly taken off my site and replaced with CC3/CC3+ maps. So about 1,600 maps there now.

You're welcome.

 

[Blue Ghost]

I've never seen Campaign Cartographer used for any publication, and certainly not for any Traveller publication. Every campaign module I've ever come across now or in years past, has been drawn by an artist using either a T-square and drafting table or a CAD program.

But thanks for trying to be helpful.

 

[McPerth]

And what about the ols nad proven Heaven and Earth?

 

[aramis]

I've never seen Campaign Cartographer used for any publication, and certainly not for any Traveller publication. Every campaign module I've ever come across now or in years past, has been drawn by an artist using either a T-square and drafting table or a CAD program.

But thanks for trying to be helpful.

CC was used for Kingdoms of Kalamar, 7th Sea 1E, L5R 2E, several dozen AD&D 2E products... In the case of L5R 2E, they even used the stock symbol set...

Note that a reduced version of CC2 was included on the AD&D Master Tools CD, and included maps from a dozen products in CC2 format.

Many CC3 maps look hand drawn; there are symbol sets specifically for the hand drawn look by third parties.

It's a pain to get right, but it's based off a professional CAD open source core, then extended for RPG mapping.