Using Game Editors to Generate Maps?

[stormweasel]

Over the years I've played games that had terrain/game editors that allowed creation of maps. I am wondering if anyone does this for quickie maps and wants to create a list of old games that have good map editors that can export images. Many older games are available via Gog website for $5-$10 and might prove useful. If anyone has already discussed this or wants to list game here that would be great. The fact that these often have a library of structures makes it useful for a quick layout even if you redraw it later.

Age of Empires comes to mind but there have been many others over the years.

ageofempires2-350x196.jpg

[Azélor]

Sim city 4 had probably the best tools I've seen to terraform a map. They could create good looking mountains in a short amount of time. I was able to buy it for 5$ on a Steam sale.

[Andre Mauruto]

Concordo plenamente

[schattentanz]

Battle for Wesnoth

Battle for wesnoth comes with a nice editor for quick landscape maps.

[languard]

RPG Maker can do basic but decent maps. Hmm...could probably use Skyrim for outdoor scenes, taking a picture of an indoor map would be awkward. You could also use Unreal 4 or Unity, though both of those come with a nice little learning curve, UE4 more so than Unity.

[J.Edward]

Depending on the kind of maps you are looking to make Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights both had the capability to do that. They would be somewhat limited and very fantasy specific but they were fun to play with. I think Titan Quest had that ability as well.

[Pixie]

My all-time favourite is from RailRoad Tycoon 3. You can import gray scale heightmaps and then "model" them with easy to use tools or start with a flat surface and raise/carve from there. The view pans smoothly to anywhere on the map, at any orientation. And on top of that, it treats the land surface as a canvas you can paint with color or texture (its own built-in textures, which are great). And, on top of that, you can place trees, rivers, rocks and buildings.
You do all your work on the ever-rendered 3d map, and that's what I really think is it's beauty.

It doesn't export well, though, I remember that there was an external fan-application to turn the maps into bmp files, but I don't think I ever used it.