Help Choosing a Program

[jqavins]

I know you get this sort of question all the time, and I've tried looking at old posts but I am still at sea. So I'll try to ask it differently.

I've just registered in order to ask about a good choice of a program for me. I've read the sticky threads on the subject ("New to Digital Csrtography..." and "List of Mapping Software") but they haven't really helped me. I appreciate the descriptions of different programs, their strengths and weeknesses, yet I'm still not finding the advice I'd like.

I'll start by tellig you about myself and what I want. I want a program that will help me make maps for an RPG campaign world, but it's not the mapping that really interests me; the map making is a necessary part of the world building. I want to do it well, I'm willing to put in the work to do it well, but I'd rather not have to become a real expert.

My dream program is described here, though I know I'm not likely to find it; I will settle for as close as I can get. Do any programs have this combination of manual entry where one wants it and guided random generation elsewhere, even to some extent?

Realistic shorelines, rivers, mountains, etc. are really important to me, so one of the fractal programs is probably best. (I tried AutoRealm a few years ago but found the fractl feature great and the rest difficult and tedious.) Hand drawaing is out of the question, as my hand drawings are no better than the average kindergardener's. I am decently good at drawing highly geometric figures witn MS Visio; if I could get fractle borders in Visio I might just go with that, at least for a trial run. Obviously, this points to a vector type, and maybe a CAD type; if CAD is going to be best for me then CC is the only choice. Should I stop right there and get CC? Does CC do the fractal stuff?

Another important feature is the ability to handle world/continent level stuff then zoom in to city level and in to dungeon level seamlessly. Again, I know CC has this; do any of the others?

If I can answer anything else about my desires and abilities, please go ahead and ask. Knowing my needs and desires, which program(s) would you recommend, or recommend that I give a try?

Update: OK, I've looked again at the ProFantasy website, and I see that yes, they do have "the fractal stuff," but it's a separate product from the basic CC, as are City Designer and Dungeon Designer. (Which you all knew, of course.) While CC itself is $44.95, which is quite affordable, CC + Fractal Terrain + City Designer + Dungeon Designer is $130. Ouch! I could spend that, but not without being pretty darn sure it will suit my needs.