I have used two different applications: Worldographer for $29.95 USD to $69.95 USD bundle (similar style maps to the infamous, Darlene map of Greyhawk), and Fractal Mapper 8.0, $34.95 USD.
Any fractal mapper will give incredible, organic edged, maps, but they will all be randomly generated, along the edges, and likely for the continental masses, as well.
I hand drew my world map, in 1983. I wanted to recreate it, digitally, and Fractal Mapper 8.0 was too cumbersome to even attempt to get close in land mass designs… I have not used it for 10 years.
The Worldographer is very good for recreating a hand drawn map, in digital format. It is incredibly powerful, and there are more font add-on's than you could ever use. They also have Cityographer, and Dungeonographer programs (see the bundle, $69.95USD).
Worldographer allows you to use it both online, and to print off maps to hand out at the tabletop. The online use allows for world view maps, which can be zoomed into, down to a street level. You can create hyperlinks to data files, within the map.
I do not use it, online. I only use it to print off maps.
I used a free hex map maker, similar to Darlene's style for the Greyhawk map, 20 years ago. It had limited online hyperlink features. and labels were a mess. I exported those maps as JPEG's, then I used MS Publisher 98 to overlay text for place and feature names. Worked superbly! I was using it on a Windows XP system -- I doubt it will run on anything newer. I still have it buried in a backup CD, somewhere. I still use those maps made with it, today. They're superb, colorful, and fun!
I need to invest the time into Worldographer. The author has videos on his YouTube channel, for how to use it. They are quite good. Cheers!
is getting the contents of his Goblin Box finally painted.
