So I'm in the market for a map editing tool, and I'm torn between Fractal Mapper and Campaign Cartographer. It seems like FM can do everything, but CC can make higher quality things. However, I have a feeling the learning curve on CC is higher.
Does anyone have experience with any of these?
Mike Holmes would choose CC3
First I am on this unwieldy iPhone keypad. Better than nothing I suppose. I have used CC3 for some time now and although I must agree on its complexity. I must also point out that if you were a single DM and professional level quality in your maps was not important then you would choose the easiest of the two to learn. However, you are a professional working on developing a quality site that has the most scaleable mapping system available. In my experience those which do not consider long term scalability one day regret a hasty selection. That was 2 cents there.
That's pretty much what drove my final decision
While I knew that the learning curve for Fractal Mapper would be lower, I also knew that it would be limited in comparison to what Campaign Cartographer could do.
Campaign Cartographer
I decided to buy Campaign Cartographer since I have a feeling I'll make significant use of the demo videos they have for various techniques. I posted a start to the new map over on the blog:
http://posterous.byswarm.com/bought-campaign-cartographer-and-now-experime
As far as I know
As I mentioned on Twitter, CC is the more complex one compared to Fractal Mapper. I actually think you're exactly correct - FM is good for the GM wanting to make maps, and I've seen CC used to create maps for publication, at least on the indie level where we are. For really good maps, I've seen people create the map in CC and then export it and manipulate it with Photoshop. Way beyond my technical know-how, but I have heard legends.
Hehe, I hear what you mean. I
Hehe, I hear what you mean. I know I won't be able to produce maps of high quality out of the gate, but I'd like to be able to make decent ones straight away. CC has one advantage in that they have a lot of demo videos to get you started.
Free trial for Fractal Mapper
Fractal Mapper does have a free trial that I've been testing. It definitely feels a bit lighter weight than CC. I'm starting to come to the conclusion that FM is good enough for the GM wanting to make maps for his game, and CC is best for someone wanting to make production-quality maps for products.
CC
I found Campaign Cartographer to be a little more complicated then it needed to be. I mostly disliked the style choices you had for your maps and other images. Haven't tried Fractal Mapper.
Wish I had more to tell you on the matter.