Game Visualization Aid Questions

[R.Carter]

One of a gamemaster's most important jobs is to draw the players into the game as much as possible, without blurring the line but so much. We have all tried various props. Paper bag maps, music, real antiques, whatever. I have stumbled onto a prop device that looks very promising.

Recently, I've been playing Mech Commander 2. One of the neater features of the game is an almost totally free range of available camera angles. You can zoom way in, or way out, spin 360 around anything, angles from perpendicular to the ground to about a 30-40 degree range. It is also a good looking game. Everything seems to have a unique feel, fractal I guess. Lots of different objects.

The game also has a mission editor.

My idea is to use the mission editor to create a world that the players can actually see. The players can see the village they are in. "See that tree right there? That's where the Su-Monster is! And from out behind those trees over there come his buddies!" A picture is worth a thousand words. A world that can be seen must be worth something. 3d diaramas eat up valuable table space, even on the largest tables. Vinyl battle maps, while critical for combat, just lack detail. Regular maps are so, 20th century.

My regular group has been using computers (mostly for reference) during our sessions for a couple of years now, we have the hardware and the savvy to make this concept fly from a technical standpoint. There are more than a few objects available in the editor that look like they could fit in a medival setting.

The problem is that the mission editor is a bit complicated for us old geezer types.

Has anyone else tried this? Maybe with another game? Has anyone seen or used a similar utility aleady designed for a D+D kinda setting? Heck, anybody want to convert an old paper map to something in this kind of format?
Thanks
R.Carter

[Xyx]

Heh, I suppose that, when it ever comes out, you could use Neverwinter Nights' world building tools to simulate tabletop maps and miniatures. Just open up the editor, draw some land, and drop some appropriate monsters into it with that stand still. Then enter the world and have the DM camera (or whatever) float around in it to enjoy the 3D stuff.

[R.Carter]

Yeah, whenever it comes out.

[T'lainya]

There are a number of mapping programs in existence. Profantasy's Campaign Cartographer and Dungeon Designer are good, but a little expensive. The Campaign Mapper software that came with the AD & D core rule 2.0 cd for 2nd ed, is good and simple. Neither has the fancy camera angles. There's another mapping software that I've never used that also is suited for D & D style gaming. NBOS's Fractal Mapper. There's probably others that would be usable, the worlsd edito for Arcanum is supposed to be the same one WoTC is going to use in the upcoming Master Tools for D & D.
If you want the links for the Profantasy site or the NBOS site send me a pm. I have no link for the Campaign Mapper, and the Arcanum editor comes with the game.

[R.Carter]

T'lainya, thanks for the info. I have used both of the mappers in the Core Rules. They are nice DM tools. Plenty of options.
I will look into Arcanum. We've heard some sour things about that game. Not to mention the sour things we've been hearing about the upcoming Master Tools. Hopefully they will get it together.
Thanks again.
R.Carter

[T'lainya]

You're welcome RC Something you might want to keep an eye on for future possibilities is an addition to the Profantasy stuff called Realm Overseer..It's produced by a different company, but works with their software to show different 3d perspectives It looks interesting and I think it shows the direction mapping software should take. You can view maps overhead or first person walkthrough..it doesn't show monsters or the like but I imagine that might be in the future. The software shows weather conditions and times of day, the demos are fun to play with at aby rate