We may be onto the next generation of cartography tools. The first generation may simply have been those web-based or software downloads that made it possible to draw maps, and the second generation made it easy to do at scale and quickly. The third generation of solutions supports multiple views and is smart enough to auto-populate the maps with sensible and context details.
However, we’ve also seen a lot of crowdfunding pitches for many solutions to a problem GMs only need one answer to. Dragon Map Maker from Dragon Maps Ltd looks impressive but also needs £20,000 to fund, and it’s an expensive time of year. Lifetime licenses are on offer.
The Dragon Map Maker Kickstarter has just launched, has nearly 100 backers, and you can join in from the project page.
Dragon Map Maker uses Rooms and Biomes with both grid (practical battle maps) and beauty (impress your players) views. Biomes are the terrain; dungeon, forest, sand and Rooms are the areas where your game’s action happens up close.
The software then uses Themes to let you say, “I want this sort of thing”, and it’ll create maps following those instructions. The Theme Marker Tool makes sure the detail added to the map is done in a way that makes sense quickly.
3D looks cool and all, but the real test is what the maps look like when they’re rendered out to an image and what they’re like to play on.
When you’re happy with your map you choose a resolution and hit the render button. This will save out your map to an image file. Dragon Map Maker is designed to create 2D maps for printing and using at your table or to be used in Virtual Table tops like FoundryVTT, Roll20, FantasyGrounds etc
The final style is designed for maximum readability while still looking detailed and lush. But if you want to tweak something about the rendered look you can with the map render sliders.
An animation expert, Darren Rolmanis, is a technical director at a London studio who’s worked on TV projects and is the talent behind the project.
A pledge of £25 gets you the base package; that’s a lifetime license to use Dragon Map Maker and quirks such as stretch goals and a role in the Discord.
At £35, backers get early access and a different Discord role.
Access to unique Kickstarter Themes and objects unlock at £60, along with a second license.
There are higher goals, some limited, for the faithful supporters.
The estimated delivery for early access in January 2022 is nearly on us and in March for everyone else.
The solution will be initially released through Itch.io.
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