   World/Map Editors for a MMO
  Hey guys,I am currently working on an indie mmorpg, and we have finally gotten to the point where it is time to start creating a world.  So we have been looking around for a good world/map editor, and I was wondering if any of you guys know of any tools you could recommend?  Thanks,FYI:  This game will be 3D, and we are willing to spend a bit of cash on an editor, but free ones are always nice.   
  How is your world geometry stored? you could use Blender if it is a Polygon Soup, or something like Torque Constructor or GTK Radiant if it is Constructive Solid Geometry, either way you'll probably have to write exporters/compilers for your world format.   ;  Seamless (streaming) and open, or level-based world design? Are you planning on sculpting the terrain, or procedurally generating it? Do you even have terrain?Open/Seamless-Bigworld - http://indie.bigworldtech.com/index/index.php-Unreal UDK - http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/DevelopmentKitGettingStarted.html(Both have Indie-friendly pricing schemes, albeit they come with more than just an editor)I can't really think of any good stand-alone height map sculpting tools off-hand that won't eventually have issues due to lack of streaming. Both of the above engines have their limits though. Bigworld is probably a better choice if you plan to something akin to WoW, while Unreal is a lot more flexible but setting up the world to support streaming can be a bit of a chore.Most people are interested in Bigworld for their server however.  If you've already got a handle on that then it probably isn't a great choice. The Bigworld client, tools, and server are pretty difficult to decouple thus I don't recommend trying to use JUST the tools.Level BasedUnless you have specific requirements imposed by the game engine you are using, it might be a good idea to use a normal 3d art package such as Maya or Max since you're probably going to need to purchase one of these anyway.  These might cost a bit, but if you are creating a lot of art for your world, then you don't really have to worry about the pipeline between the world editor and art creation tools. I know of several studios who do this, though I've never worked this way myself. You will need someone fluent in Max or Maya scripting to streamline the interface and work out the details of exporting the data to your game. ;  Alright it seems like I forgot to mention some key things about how this game will work.  Regarding the world geometry we will be using a polygon soup, the map will be seamless and open, and the terrain will be sculpted (although generating some parts is not out of the question).  Also we do have some parts of the terrain constructed, but we still have a lot more work to do.As far as world editors go we are currently planning to use this one http://www.thegamecreators.com/?m=view_product&id=2100.  Blender, Max, and Maya were also considered, but the problem there is anyone who knows anything about these editors will be working on making 3d models.  The guys who are creating the world need an easy to use tool.  Thanks for all the responses guys   ;  3D World Studio is a good tool, but it hasn't been updated in years, and there won't be a new version soon as it was folded into the Leadwerks engine. Just a heads up before you take the plunge.   ;Quote:Original post by Kwizatz3D World Studio is a good tool, but it hasn't been updated in years, and there won't be a new version soon as it was folded into the Leadwerks engine. Just a heads up before you take the plunge.Ok thanks for the heads up.  If you know of any better editors please let me know about them.  Atm our plan is to use outside tools to help us speed up production, and then go back later and design systems made specifically for our game.;  Well, Torque Constructor, which I linked, is similar in functionality to 3DWS, I am not sure if it is still being worked on, but at least its free, only problem is that you'd have to process .map files in order to get polygon soups, but I think thats true for most CSG editors.   