Creative Cartography

A few years ago, when I started making my own role-playing video game via RPG Maker MZ, I discovered map-making software. These are like purpose-built "photoshop" apps for creating fantasy maps. How cool! I was interested but never ended up diving into them. Fast-forward to this month — the creative bug bit me again. Two cartography tools I found are Inkarnate and Wonderdraft. I must choose...wisely.

Why though?

Well, like I said, the creative bug bit me. I just felt like making something, using my imagination. For me, it relates to times I get into story-writing. A world map is a setting for a story to take place. Personally, I've found it helpful in writing a story to first lay out an over-world so I can visualize where things are in relation to each other. (I guess credit the influence of RPGs.)

Also, I've just always found maps cool. I like reading them, following paths, etc. Maybe it's because when I was kid, traveling in the family car required physical books. Reading the giant Rand-McNally road atlas was fun to pass the time.

In any case, there seem to be two popular map-making tools: Inkarnate and Wonderdraft. Choosing between them was almost a no-brainer. While both have enough good features to "get the job done," there was one easy differentiator: the purchase model.

Inkarnate is a cloud-only app, requiring a subscription fee. Noooooo!

Wonderdraft is a local/native app, requiring a one-time up-front purchase. Yaasssss!

Folks, that was easy. A local program the runs on my hefty core i5 CPU, off of my speedy SSD, might utilize my GPU, and doesn't require an internet connection? Sounds great.

Plus, I can, you know, just actually buy it. I can practically own the software and use it basically forever. What awesomeness is this?

Note: I have not yet spent any money or used either software. Inkarnate has a free trial version. But for now, I'm just watching YouTube videos to learn more about Wonderdraft.

So in a nutshell, I want to get creative, enjoy some fantasy map-making, and likely use Wonderdraft to create an over-world for a story for my "someday, I'll make my own RPG." Meanwhile, my brain is having fun thinking about what kind of geographic features to make on my dream map: caverns, canyons, mountains, forests...The Great Plateau of Hyrule, Middle Earth...