Map

The map is an item used to view explored terrain.

While the object is being held in the player's hand, a map is constructed as the player explores the world. When the item is later selected, the player can see the explored world on a paper held in front of them.

Each map is 128x128 total pixels, with each pixel representing an 8x8 block area of world space. A map therefore covers a 1024x1024 block area, or 64x64 chunks.

Since Infdev (and including Alpha, Beta, and Official versions), Minecraft worlds are essentially infinite in horizontal space, so one map can not remotely accommodate an entire world. Multiple maps can be crafted, although the area they cover is determined at crafting time, by the location in which they are crafted (see Multiple maps below).



Crafting
To create a map from scratch, you will have to create the universe. If you already have a universe, you will need at least 9 sugar canes, 4 iron ore, fuel to smelt iron ingots, and 1 piece of redstone dust.

Behavior
Each map is created with three parameters: These parameters are permanent, which means that the contents of the map do not shift with the movements of the player, as in some games. Instead, it is closer to the behavior of a real map, where the explored world is not erased and movement is not tracked. Thus, when a player goes beyond the limits of the map, it is not shown on the map, and it is necessary to create another (each map corresponds to a region).
 * A map type, which can either be overworld, nether, or as of the 1.0 update, The End. Overworld maps are created with a regular compass on the overworld. Nether maps are created in the nether with a spinning compass. Neither map will work in the other realm. Trying to use an overworld map in the Nether displays the created so far map without the pointer, and vice versa.
 * A centre, which is where the map was created (v1.8.1).
 * A zoom level, which will somehow be decided at the time the map is created. This was mentioned by Notch, but is not currently in the game. All maps have a scale of 1 pixel = an 8x8 block square.

The map must be held in the player's hands while exploring the world to record the world on the map. The world will be recorded as it is at exploration time, meaning that if the world is modified a player must revisit the area while holding the map in order to update the map's view. Holding the map will not obscure the view in front of the player as the map is positioned low such that the player must look down to view it.

Multiple maps
In order to map a new area, the map must be crafted in that area (rather than merely carrying the map, in the player's inventory, to the new area). The point where a map is crafted becomes its permanent center, and can never be changed. This means that:


 * Two maps crafted from the same location will always have the same center point, and will therefore be redundant. Maps need to be crafted in different locations in order to map different areas.
 * Similarly, crafting a supply of maps at one time to prepare for a long exploration of the level will only waste resources. All of the maps will have the same center point.
 * In order to properly map a new area, you should carry the necessary ingredients to craft a map (1 Compass, 8 Paper), along with a Crafting Table, in your inventory. Travel well outside the current map's edge before crafting a new map, which will conserve map-crafting resources and keep confusingly redundant map space to a minimum.
 * Even a new map crafted when the player travels just beyond their previous map's edge will significantly overlap the previous map. The edge of the old map becomes the center of the new map. This can make it difficult to use maps efficiently.

Only the map being held will be drawn, even if another map covers the same area. A map that is never held will remain blank, even if another map in the player's inventory has already drawn its area.

In vanilla release version 1.0.0 survival mode, to obtain a new map the user must not hold down shift when picking up the created map from the crafting table: holding shift while picking up the map will always create a clone of map_0, the first map created in that world. Every map cloned this way is named exactly the same (map_0) and is automatically updated with all the rest.

In Creative mode, map_0 is automatically created, centered at the initial spawn point, and all maps taken from the creative mode inventory will be map_0. Maps of other regions can still be obtained by crafting them.

Map display
Each pixel of a map corresponds to an 8x8 block area of the world, and is always aligned to X and Z coordinates that are multiples of 8. Generally, the colour of a map pixel matches the colour of the most common opaque block in the corresponding 8x8 area, as seen from the sky. However, some blocks are seemingly coloured incorrectly. For instance, sandstone, gold blocks, Huge Red Mushroom and netherrack are drawn in grey. Blocks in the 8x8 area other than the most common type do not affect the color of the pixel, thus small features tend to be undetectable on maps.

Each map is 128x128 pixels in size, and therefore covers a total area of 1024x1024 blocks, or 64x64 chunks.

Multiplayer
In multiplayer, the maps have a strong social aspect, since it is possible to give one map to another player so they can observe what has been explored. Maps will be able to be "cloned" so that players with the same map can combine the results of their exploration. The position of other players holding the same map will be visible. It is already possible to clone maps with the /item and /give command. If an admin gives themselves a new map (using /give player1 358) then that map will be the default map but if there currently is no crafted map_0 then that map will be blank. Also other plugins/commands that allow a damagevalue such as fullchest allow you to clone maps. If you're using an inventory editor or can spawn items, you can type /give me 358,(# of map you want, i.e. 2 = map_2). /give me 358,2 1 will give you one map_2.

Some people may not be able to spawn superscripted items. Have a crafting table on you at all times, and spawn compasses and paper. Whenever you make a physical map (instead of spawning) you will create a different region map placing you in the centre.

If you do not have a plug in, this command will work: /give [playername] [data-value] [amount] [damage-value]

Example: /give [playername] 358 10 2 will give you ten map_2s.

Note, however, that if this method is used to attempt to gain a map not yet generated, then the next sequential number will be given instead.

Example: if map_0 and map_1 have been generated in the world already, but map_2 has not, then "/give [playername] 358 10 30" will give the player 10 map_2's instead of the 10 map_30's that may have been expected.

Usage
Maps are mostly used to give the player a sense of direction when lost. In SSP it can also be used to re-locate mineral deposits. In SMP, players are able to view others' maps and explorations by giving one another different maps. Maps created in the Overworld will not track player position or record explored areas while in the Nether, and vice versa.

While maps in the Nether work, it has a ceiling, and all that will be shown is red and grey. The only useful function is finding where you are in relation to where you made the map. Additionally, the direction indicator rapidly spins and is not a good indicator of direction. Remembering that maps are north at the top and that the L corner of nether blocks points west is more reliable. And as long as the map was created near a portal, that map's centre will always be that portal. Maps are only partially useful for knowing which parts of The Nether you have explored.

Maps made in the End show a similar red and grey pattern, despite the lack of a (visible) ceiling. The direction indicator does work properly, however.

Bugs

 * Walking into water on a server with a map in your hands or inventory enlarges it and also prevents the grey icon from moving. This can be corrected by disconnecting and reconnecting.
 * If you hold a map and enter a boat in 1st person view, switch to 3rd person view, then return to 1st person, the left hand is out of position. This can also happen if you open your inventory while sitting in a boat.
 * Maps can rarely map void areas but more often than not cause a saving chunks screen to appear followed by a crash.
 * If you use a modified map generation code and then select the map item, your game will display the saving chunks screen and crash.
 * Maps do not work correctly on some servers with low viewing distances, and walking around only produces a few mapped pixels.
 * When holding a map while breaking a block, the map clears and increments the map index to the next number. (map_0 to map_1, etc.) (not in 1.0.0)
 * When loading your world, if you turn to the left, the player arrow will become off by a pixel (about 22.5 degrees); if you rotate right it will be fine. It also 'tracks' the number of rotations you've made in either direction.
 * Some maps in SMP will display normally while exploring, but once the user relogs vertical lines appear in the map that will not go away.
 * When creating a new map in SMP, previously created maps currently in the player's inventory may become the new map.
 * All colors of wool show up as white on a map.

Trivia

 * The map will actually record the surface even as you move through a cave, making it useful for determining if there are hazards (water, sand, lava) above you when you're digging a tunnel to the surface.
 * Maps and the drawn bow are the only two items in Minecraft that require two hands to hold.
 * When the player walks off the edge of a map, their location will momentarily jump to the other side of the map.
 * When edited into the player's inventory, the map's name (unless damage value was correctly specified) is always "map_x", where x is the number of the map. The first one will be map_0.
 * When the player is holding the map, and he/she presses for 3rd-person view, it does not show the player looking at the map. It simply shows the player holding the inventory icon of the map in one hand.
 * It is commonly said that Minecraft maps are oriented with East at the top. It is certainly true that they are oriented with the direction of sunrise at the top, which is, by definition, East.  However, Jeb has asserted (and Notch agreed) that in Minecraft the Sun rises in the north.   Most mods and map-making tools, however, use the terms East and North consistent with their actual definitions (e.g. a Cartographer generated map with North at the top will be rotated 90 degrees from the in-game map). As of 1.9.5, this is no longer true; the sun now rises in the east and sets in the west.
 * Maps, despite being made of paper, can be used in the rain and underwater.
 * Maps are currently the most heavily detailed object in Minecraft, having several times more pixels than a large painting.
 * Notch said that maps' ability to save custom data could lead to the creation of real books written by players, or even paintings/signs that use custom textures.
 * There can be no more than 65536 (216) unique maps per world.
 * If there are too many maps, when trying to craft one it will relay the message "Can't craft map: too many maps".
 * A map created using the "give" command will always be Map_0. If Map_0 has not ever been crafted, it will be centred on the original spawn point (not moved with beds).
 * The map item currently only maps the surface, but Notch said that "cave maps [are] an interesting idea".
 * Notch said that he would try to make maps place-able on walls. This feature is not currently in the game however.
 * The maps are stored separately as their own data (.dat) file as map_x.dat with (x) being the map number. By manipulating this number, players can organize their maps to suit them, or if they accidentally create a map in the same location, they can delete their extra map so as to save the number they make.
 * Maps can map the void in SMP
 * The centre of the map is the block you were standing on when it was created, not at the point where it was first used, and not (necessarily) exactly the same location as the workbench it was crafted on.
 * As of Beta 1.8.1, the map will work both while walking and flying.
 * In Beta 1.8.1 3 new symbols were added to the mapicons.png in minecraft.jar/misc.
 * Arm textures are rotated and show the back of the arm, because the player is holding the map in the palms of his hands.

History
On April 27, 2011, Notch unveiled screenshots of the map.

In update 1.6.6, the ability to auto-craft using shift-click was disabled and then restored in update 1.8. Map cloning was therefore unavailable for a period of time.