Campaign mapping software for RIFTs.

[Deadboy76]

What software do people use for the setting? Something with both modern and ancient capabilities. I know there are some free ones too. Looking for ideas.

[Bill]

Google Maps, mostly.

[Shorty Lickens]

Back when they had Windows apps, I used MapMage and their other things. But now they are exclusively iPhone.

Is Campaign Cartographer still around?

[Deadboy76]

Campaign Cartographer appears to be going strong. They have fantasy and modern versions. I can't find whether they combine or not. You would think there would be something for a post apocalyptic setting.

[PSI-Lence]

is there anything that would basically let you download and alter a google maps type thing? like being able to zoom out for the full map then zoom in to city street level detail? (it would take a hell of a lot of time to alter it...but i'd probably end up doing it for major towns at least)

and i mean without having to save each image

[Jorick]

is there anything that would basically let you download and alter a google maps type thing? like being able to zoom out for the full map then zoom in to city street level detail? (it would take a hell of a lot of time to alter it...but i'd probably end up doing it for major towns at least)

and i mean without having to save each image

First of all, check out Hotrod's posts on this forum. Here's his deviantart: http://ferocefv.deviantart.com/
Read this for putting map into Google Earth: http://ferocefv.deviantart.com/journal/ ... -451778375
I'm pretty sure, with enough time and effort, you can basically replace real Earth with a fictitious one.

I've been messing with doing such things, but I'm a complete noob, so be warned.

If you get really good at Google Earth then you can approximate what you want to do.

What I'm working on right now (and it will take me a long time to learn how to do what I want, because I'm completely new at cartography), is using what is called a Geographic Information System (or GIS--I'm using the popular open source QGIS) for real world info. These things use real map data to help mapmakers create maps filled with useful data. When you read an article with a map graphic in it, and there's data on that map, a GIS was used. Often, Google Earth, a sort of stripped down GIS (but much more user friendly, and robust--cause of that zoom--if you don't want to manipulate too much), is used.

I take real topographical information (and other stuff, like flood zones, etc. made especially for GIS software--the files are called "shapefiles"), and convert them as layers into GIMP (open source Photoshop). GIMP is generally what fantasy cartographers like to use (either instead of, or because they don;t have access to PS). Inkscape is an open source version of Adobe Illustrator. Also useful.

Then I have to draw.

So I have a large picture of a region. I know where all the water is. I know where the floodplains are (I like the floodplains because this is post-cataclysm, and everything's flooding in Rifts). So I draw on top of all that data, and make the geography look like I want it to (slightly different than it really does, and none of the real buildings, etc.).

I'm just starting to learn what I can do (while also trying to make it look sort of good). Once I get my region's geography down, I'll put the buildings and the roads.

I gotta take baby steps though. I, like you, would love to make a large map, that I could then zoom into for detail. I think I'll have to have layers for different significant levels of zoom. Technically different images within one image, that I would turn on after zoom. However, this would be an very very large file (in order to keep detail from a very large geographical space, to a relatively very small one). It might not be worth it. It might be easier, for both me and my audience if I just have specific maps for regional/city/etc.

One other option that I haven't looked into/played with because it isn't free is Campaign Cartographer. Not just CC3, but also Fractal Terrains 3 (and possibly City Designer 3). Fractal Terrains looks like it's kind of a GIS. I'm not sure, but perhaps you can make your planet, and then allow it to zoom to a level created with CC3. Something to think about when I have a good chunk of spare change and time.

[PSI-Lence]

is there anything that would basically let you download and alter a google maps type thing? like being able to zoom out for the full map then zoom in to city street level detail? (it would take a hell of a lot of time to alter it...but i'd probably end up doing it for major towns at least)

and i mean without having to save each image

First of all, check out Hotrod's posts on this forum. Here's his deviantart: http://ferocefv.deviantart.com/
Read this for putting map into Google Earth: http://ferocefv.deviantart.com/journal/ ... -451778375
I'm pretty sure, with enough time and effort, you can basically replace real Earth with a fictitious one.

I've been messing with doing such things, but I'm a complete noob, so be warned.

If you get really good at Google Earth then you can approximate what you want to do.

What I'm working on right now (and it will take me a long time to learn how to do what I want, because I'm completely new at cartography), is using what is called a Geographic Information System (or GIS--I'm using the popular open source QGIS) for real world info. These things use real map data to help mapmakers create maps filled with useful data. When you read an article with a map graphic in it, and there's data on that map, a GIS was used. Often, Google Earth, a sort of stripped down GIS (but much more user friendly, and robust--cause of that zoom--if you don't want to manipulate too much), is used.

I take real topographical information (and other stuff, like flood zones, etc. made especially for GIS software--the files are called "shapefiles"), and convert them as layers into GIMP (open source Photoshop). GIMP is generally what fantasy cartographers like to use (either instead of, or because they don;t have access to PS). Inkscape is an open source version of Adobe Illustrator. Also useful.

Then I have to draw.

So I have a large picture of a region. I know where all the water is. I know where the floodplains are (I like the floodplains because this is post-cataclysm, and everything's flooding in Rifts). So I draw on top of all that data, and make the geography look like I want it to (slightly different than it really does, and none of the real buildings, etc.).

I'm just starting to learn what I can do (while also trying to make it look sort of good). Once I get my region's geography down, I'll put the buildings and the roads.

I gotta take baby steps though. I, like you, would love to make a large map, that I could then zoom into for detail. I think I'll have to have layers for different significant levels of zoom. Technically different images within one image, that I would turn on after zoom. However, this would be an very very large file (in order to keep detail from a very large geographical space, to a relatively very small one). It might not be worth it. It might be easier, for both me and my audience if I just have specific maps for regional/city/etc.

One other option that I haven't looked into/played with because it isn't free is Campaign Cartographer. Not just CC3, but also Fractal Terrains 3 (and possibly City Designer 3). Fractal Terrains looks like it's kind of a GIS. I'm not sure, but perhaps you can make your planet, and then allow it to zoom to a level created with CC3. Something to think about when I have a good chunk of spare change and time.

thanks, that is not exactly what i had in mind (was actually hopping to zoom in and out just like google maps, but that is closer to what i could figure on my own, of course my software skills pretty much end with copy paste so i might have to save this somewhere to try figuring out later)