I use Campaign Cartographer as my primary mapper and don't really find it any more difficult to use than any other program package with it's versatility. It runs like most CADs I've used in the past. Is it's learning curve harder than finger painting, absolutely. But then some of the high dollar paint and drawing/illustrator programs have much the same curve. Photoshop is OK and will do the trick, but only if do really need anything in depth or complicated.
And I just don't understand where $44.95 became "extremely expensive". $1 is more expensive than free, but cheaper than on console game is not "extremely expensive". Now there are a lot of addons, but then the CC was released in 1993 has 20+ years of extra catalog. But CC3 does have a geomorph set that allows you to build maps of predesigned drop in rooms, corridors and such. CC3 can do everything that you can do with addons like Dungeon Designer 3 and City Designer 3. All they really do is add in a lot of cool tools and shortcuts that make things easier. Plus more symbol catalogs.
I guess all I am saying is that CC is a real full capability mapping program for $45. That is simply not expensive in in the world of productive software. especially since you DO NOT need to buy anything extra to make pretty much any map you might want. You can buy the addons for extra goodies, but they are not necessary to actually map.
I remember picking up Dundjinni, but it didn't do anything that I wasn't already doing with CC3 except prevent me from customizing when I wanted to. Over the last 15 years or so I have picked up the big addons like DD3, CD3 and CosmoPro.
The learning curve primarily stems from trying to self learn as you go usinhg the enclosed mini-manuals, which are about as helpful as the user manuala I got with Adobe Pro and the Corel Suite. Heck, Office doesn;t even really have one. But for the Profantasy products I highly recommended their Tome of Ultimate Mapping. It is the user guide for their entire line gets updated as the software gets updated. It breaks down how to do things Barny-style and ties into the tutorials. For years I was on the "gasp it's so complicated" wagon (which is why I tried Dundjinni), but when I got the ToUM things suddenly got easy.
The other benny to ToUM is that it is the users manual for ALL of their mapping software, so I was able to actually see in detail what an add on or supplement could do before I decided to buy it.
Anyway, all I am saying is that the CC family of mapping software is not really the great ogre it is made out to be, nor is it actually that expensive.
It is not free, that is true. But $45 is not "expensive" ......
