I recently returned to gaming after a near ten year hiatus. A the time that I stopped playing there were a number of computer based tools for RPGers, but none for the Macintosh. About a year ago I got the bug again and, as I still use the Mac, started looking at several of the Mac based tools available. I looked at most of them, and paid the liscencing fee for several before I stumbled upon RPGMapMaker. What a tool!

I found that the learning curve on RPGMapMaker was very short, being able to produce credible maps for my ganes in a very short time. The scripting ability that was built into the earlier version was VERY useful, allowing me to create my own specific Map Sheets, prepopulated with the room descriptions, basic NPC info, and even random encounter tables. RPGMapMaker also included severl modules that allowed the random generation of caverns, mazes and dungeons, though this feature was limited to an 8.5"X11" area. I quickly dropped use of all other tools and have been using RPGMapMaker since, and that was version 4.4.2.

Starting in version 5.0, veraion 5.1 is essentially the same as 5.0 except that it is a Universal Binary, Francois added some very significant features! Scripting has been expanded to all layers, though it is limited to text only on all but the 'grid' layer, and the random dungeon/cavern/maze modules have been expanded to allow for creation of maps up to the largest size maps the program can handle, which is "E" size (for those of us in the US) I have used the latest version to create a 'D' size cavern map for a campaign I am currently running, including scripting to add specific detail on the NPC list, Chamber description, and Random Encounter Table. My only issue now is not having a printer that can print the map,a problem that I resolved by going to a local print house. They LOVED the artwork I produced with RPGMapMaker.

Finally, when I first started using RPGMapMaker, there wasn't an online community from which I could get answers to some of my tougher questions, and even though the software was easy to learn, I am NOT an artist and some of the techniques used to develop the very nice sample maps available on RPGMapMakers home page escaped me. The good news is that Francois has agreed to support such a community and so the 'RPGMapMakerForum' at Yahoo!Groups was born. Its a small community so far, but Francois has been impresively cooperative, answering questions, working with the users to develop new exciting features for his software, and remaining open and extreemly responsive when it came to 'bug' reports on his a;pha and bata versions as he prepared the version 5 upgrade.

All round, I am VERY happy with the tool that Francois had provided and look forward to any and all advancements he makes.

Oh, one more thing. With version 5.0 and higher, Francois has made great strides with the documentation. For a program that was fairly easy to learn, his update of the documentation has made it even easier. If there was one area in the documentation where there is still room for improvement it is in the area of scripting for the 'other' layers. The documentation for scripting the 'grid' layer, in conjunction with the sample scripts provided, is very effective. Samples of scripts for the other layers would make it much easier to understand that aspect of the scripting feature.

Eric C. Smith
An Extreemly Happy User