Automap is an abbreviation for "automatic mapping" a navigational aid featured in many video-games. It shows a limited top-down map view of the game world that is centered on the player's character and is updated in real-time as the character moves around. Automaps usually display traversible terrain, allies, enemies, and important locations. Some team-oriented multi-player games allow players to draw temporary lines and markings on the automap for others to see.

In Doom (quite possibly the game that popularized the term), the "Automap" is an item that looks like a flat-screen with green lines on it. Once picked up, the entire map of the level is divulged to the character, with red walls indicating places already seen and gray walls indicating places which the player has yet to explore. The game updates the map in real-time as you explore a level and allows you to play directly from the map screen, but unless you have the Automap item, monsters will not be displayed.

Why do I blog this? I am fascinated by players who video-game mapping freaks, either those who develops technologies to map the game environments or the one who draw them by hand.