- #CAMPAIGN CARTOGRAPHER 3 CREATING A SYMBOL HOW TO#
- #CAMPAIGN CARTOGRAPHER 3 CREATING A SYMBOL UPDATE#
- #CAMPAIGN CARTOGRAPHER 3 CREATING A SYMBOL FULL#
- #CAMPAIGN CARTOGRAPHER 3 CREATING A SYMBOL SOFTWARE#
- #CAMPAIGN CARTOGRAPHER 3 CREATING A SYMBOL PLUS#
#CAMPAIGN CARTOGRAPHER 3 CREATING A SYMBOL SOFTWARE#
Bigger, prettier icons does nothing to address the fact that the learning curve for this software is unecessarily high because the program and accompanying documentation haven’t received proper attention in years.
#CAMPAIGN CARTOGRAPHER 3 CREATING A SYMBOL UPDATE#
The most glaring problem is that the code is terribly outdated, and I’m not talking about the unimportant update they actually addressed, the way it looks. Yes, CC3+ is prettier, it has some better symbols and fill styles, it’s quicker and some bugs are plugged, but it still has all the major problems that CC3 had. Before that I was using CC3 off and on and had just started using it again.
#CAMPAIGN CARTOGRAPHER 3 CREATING A SYMBOL HOW TO#
If you live near Edinburgh, Scotland, he would love to teach you how to fight Medieval German Longsword. His creative writing handbook, Storyteller Tools: Outline from vision to finished novel without losing the magic is available on Amazon. He has several Historical Adventure books in print. M Harold Page ( is a Scottish-based writer.
#CAMPAIGN CARTOGRAPHER 3 CREATING A SYMBOL PLUS#
UPDATE: When you buy CC3, you actually get CC3+ plus the old version which will be superseded when all the add-ons are also updated. Ultimately, Campaign Cartographer does require putting in some effort, but for map design, the results are rewarding and learning the software is not a bad way of spending a rainy Scottish afternoon. If you are prepared to use this package as a intended, as a design rather than creativity tool, then you can quickly start to produce encouraging results the learning curve is only a problem if you insist on skiing uphill! My own efforts after an hour of tinkering were not so bad, and would have been better had I been mapping a world that already existed in rough form. However, do, consider buying Campaign Cartographer if you need to produce professional looking maps of your imaginary world, for example for a self-published role playing project or a Fantasy ebook.
So, don’t buy this software for world building unless you are comfortable with professional CAD tools - I know some of you are. My own efforts after an hour of tinkering were not so bad… Cartographers no more dump symbols onto the screen than we writers just type the stuff in our heads then hit “Upload to Amazon”. It takes talent, hard work and most of all practice. Me using Campaign Cartographer for my musings is like my mum using Scrivener for her shopping list.Ĭartography is like any other design skill. Whereas I’m thinking, “Rah mountains, rah dragon, rah road!”, professional cartographers are thinking, “Mountains must leave space for dragon and road, and mustn’t interfere with the text, and it has to look good”. It’s a feature if you are designing a map, rather than building a world. That granular fiddliness? …a prettier, less confusing interface, This software felt like the graphics equivalent of a typewriter, or perhaps FrameMaker.īut then I recalled my friend Andy Law who actually makes his living as a cartographer and I finally understood. You select your tool first, then the thing you want to tweak, and even drag and drop entails menus and mouse clicks. That’s how I write, and how I want to worldbuild.Ĭampaign Cartographer just doesn’t lend itself to this way of working.
I rough things out then refine them, tinkering with structure and detail until things are right. Like most writers, I am used to creating by iteration.
The symbol sets and effects are still beautiful, and you can still make awesome maps
#CAMPAIGN CARTOGRAPHER 3 CREATING A SYMBOL FULL#
It’s more stable, makes full use of the power of modern PCs, has a prettier, less confusing interface, a really very useful “verbose” tooltip that pops up when you use any tool, and smoother navigation. The new version is certainly an improvement on the old (which, however, did as advertised). just like one of the dark lord’s minions walking into an ambush. So as I downloaded their not-inexpensive software, I was grinning happily to myself…. Just glancing at what people can do with is enough to take you to otherwhen places. They have a massive suite of programs for designing things like dungeons, cities, star systems and starship. They’ve been around since 1993 (so far back that I think Richard III was still on the throne) which says a lot. Though just a 3-person company, Profantasyare the behemoths of Fantasy cartography. When I snagged a pre-release review copy of Profantasy Campaign Cartographer 3 Plus, smugness quickly turned to irritation… then to understanding and respect.
Just looking at it takes you places (click for bigger version).
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