AstroSynthesis 2.0 is a program that lets you create 3D star system maps.
Maps can include randomly-generated features alongside the ones you place, and they can get quite complex. AstroSynthesis drills down to the level of plotting routes between planets (and calculating the distances for you) and allowing you to animate planetary orbits.
I’m not sure I would ever need this much detail to run a space-based campaign, but it would be fun to play with — and nice to know that if I did need to go deeper, I could. There’s also a free trial, and at the moment this puppy has four 5/5 reviews on RPGNow.
Has anyone tried AstroSynthesis?
I’ve tried to use AstroSynthesis 1.0, and it’s nigh-unusable, with horrendous bugs, particularly in camera movement. My brief time spent with the demo of 2.0 did not do much to improve my opinion.
Yes, space is big, mindbogglingly big. But it would be nice if it could look like the distance down the road to your chemist, when you’re trying to look at the various stars. It’s nearly impossible to get a good view of more than half-a-dozen stars at a time. Compare this to things like the really clever starmap in DragonStar, which managed to handle 3-d space on a 2-d page, and I really don’t see the point in paying money for AstroSynthesis.
I actually put NBOS’s Fractal Mapper, Screen Monkey, and AstroSynthesis on my shared X-Mas list for this year because I wanted to try running an online sci-fi campaign in 2007 using them (I’ll be recruiting players sometime in January/February if anyone is interested).
I’ve used the trial versions of all of these proucts, and so far I am happy with the results.
PS And I’ll also start experimenting with Fantasy Grounds after the holidays as well if there are any players who prefer that software for online gaming.
Two very different opinions. 😉
Any other takers?
How variable is it? Can I make crystal spheres for my Spelljammer campaign with it, complete with cubic planets made of fire circling worlds held on the backs of elephants? Or is it strictly Sci-fi?
I actually own the software (picked up the bundle including Fractal Mapper at Gencon Indy).
It is kind of strange – I have yet to actually use it for my campaign except to organize my personal notes and I love it.
Then again, I’m running a not-so-SciFi campaign, so the players have yet to leave the campaign world’s surface.
Rick: My guess from the product is no on the Spelljammer worlds. 😉
aetherspoon: What kind of notes are you using this to organize?