OK, so it really bugs me when a DM is lazy and doesn't make proper maps for his encounters and campaign setting. It's really difficult to play the game on a blank piece of graph paper or other equally crappy grid-like object.
I'm about to start a truly amazingly-awesome ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE! campaign (see this URL for additional discussion on this topic: http://paizo.com/forums/dmtz4xzt?Zombie-Apocalypse#35) and I need some super awesome map-making resources.
Unfortunately, my wife is less enthusiastic about this game idea (or gaming in general) than I am, and would put my nuts in a vice if I went out and purchased something like Campaign Cartographer or other map-making software.
So, once again, I appeal to the Pathfinder community for help. How can I make functional (not necessarily pretty) game maps for use on a computer display for my super-awesome ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE! game?
Do you have any skills with Photoshop type programs? If so you could use Gimp and then just find your assets/textures and what not online. Make your layout then overlay a hex/square map on what you created. There are plenty of free texture sites out there to grab things from. You could even try just making them as modular tiles so you can place them together in whatever fashion you want. This of course would require you to make several different types of terrain tiles.
Hmmm...I don't have Photoshop, and I've never used it before. Here are the resources I have available:
Excel, Word, Powerpoint, the generic "Paint" program that comes with your PC accessories
That's what I'm working with...I know it's not much...
Thanks for the suggestion, though!
Google cartographers guild. More info than you can use.
MeleeMonster, Tharialas mentions GIMP which is sort of like a free version of Photoshop. It's not something you're going to be able to use like a pro right away (but the same goes for any program), but it's free.
IIRC, Campaign Cartographer also has a free demo which will be limited but enough to at least get you started, hopefully.
And as much as I am a huge mapping fan (I HAVE spent a ton of money on Campaign Cartographer and its addons), I'd also never dis the graph paper method. Done well, it looks 100% nicer and easier to read than a crappily made digital map in any program.
There's also a free version of Hexographer .
There's also a free version of Hexographer .
Oooh, not to mention Inkwell's other resources are also fantastic.
I actually draw most of my maps directly within MapTool rather than Photoshop. The trick though is that you'll probably want to get yourself a graphics tablet as a mouse (IMO) won't cut it. Wacom Bamboo tablets start around $80 on Amazon (get the Capture or Create rather than the Connect so that you have access to Multi-Touch).
To make the actual maps themselves, I'll start with a good background like water, sand, stone, etc. that covers the whole area. From there, I'll lower the opacity of the painting tool, and just start drawing out shapes on the tablet layering additional textures such as dirt followed by water for a river thru a grassy plain. When you set the opacity to about 20-40%, you can achieve a gradient effect that looks pretty damn good and can be drawn in only a few minutes.
The biggest challenge you'll face will be finding some good base textures and place-able objects like furniture, etc.
Fortunately I have a few suggestions to get you started. For textures, just do a search for "seamless textures" on Deviant Art or Google. You see, every 3D game requires 2D textures and they'll work perfectly for what you need. Now many that you'll find via Google will be professional textures that they want you to buy, but there's also plenty of free content available too. Heck, if you have any 3D games installed on your computer, check to see if there is an editor available (such as UnrealEd for Unreal Engine games) and do what I did: export some textures to use. :)
Anyway, here's a good list containing lots of objects you can make use of:
http://forums.rptools.net/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=806
For some examples of the maps you can make using this technique, here's a few of my own:
Each of those took less than 15 minutes to create. Do they look as good as what's in a Paizo AP? Well, no. But they look far better than the MS Excel maps and I can create them far faster than I can make something comparable in Campaign Cartographer or Fractal Mapper.
Great, advice, folks. Thanks! I knew I could count on the community for the best solutions to my toughest gaming problems.