How to choose a tool for mapping?

[nichendrix]

Just for the record ... I'm not trying to sell any one program. As Heruca has pointed out, Map Forge has an excellent set of tools for sci-fi type maps.

I didn't think you were trying to sell me any of the programs, you just presented me with your view of each of them, which was exactly what I asked for. Your comments gave a lot to think about the mentioned programs.

If you use FM8 or FM9 with the Fractal World Explorer (included in the FM8/FM9 package) and download and install the free CSUAC and the free Dundjinni Archives into FM8 or FM9, you'll also have an excellent set of tools for sci-fi type maps.

I've downloaded the CSUAC and DA sets for all platforms available in the Vintyri Project website. They seem to have an insane amount of texture and symbols, even tough the amount of symbols specifically for sci-fi and modern stuff seems to be rather small compared to medieval fantasy, but thaylt assimetry is part of the gaming life.

I whish that there were more examples of sci-fi maps made with FM8, things like cities/towns, starship deckplans, battlemaps, "dungeon" maps, etc., specially maps on the better quality side, since the few I've seen were mostly on the low quality side.

If you use CC3+ with Cosmographer (a separate ProFantasy add-in that must be purchased) and download and install the free CSUAC 2 and the free Dundjinni Archives into CC3+, you'll also have an excellent set of tools for sci-fi type maps.

Unlike FM8 where I'm yet to see a high quality sci-fi stuff, I found that there are plenty of high quality examples of all kinds of maps made with CC3+ and Cosmographer, from cities, to buildings/dungeons, to starship deckplans, to star maps, there are examples of all kinds of things with a good portion of them on the high quality side.

In the end I'm leaning to start with FM8/FM9 and Astrosynthesis, most people I've consulted here and on other fóruns, says it has a friendly learning curve, the cost of the bundle is less than half the price I would pay for CC3+, and it has a 64-bit version on the near future.

Even so don't think that it would take very long to get my way on CC3+'s GUI. Since I use AutoCAD since R11 for DOS version and also used FastCAD back in the day. I've started using CAD in the early 90's when I was just a kid my mother conscripted to help her in her architecture projects when the deadlines are short and the work still nedding to be done were plenty. Back when I was younger and had far more time, I would use AutoCAD to make most of my maps, then would export them to Illustrator or Corel Draw to add color and effects to the map. But nowadays I don't have that amount of time anymore.

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