Map
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The Map is the entire space in which construction can occur in the game. The map is 3D: as well as extending in every direction on one plane, it reaches up to the level ceiling and down to bedrock. There are a number of tools that allow users to edit their map. Minecraft uses a voxel system which is an incremental 3d grid in which each grid point holds a data for a single block.
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Sizes
The map is randomly generated at the start of a game, unless it has been edited by the administrator of a server. The random generation of maps includes sheer cliffs, trees, caverns and hills. Maps can be generated in "small", "normal"(256x256x64) and "huge" sizes. A "compass" in the game is the clouds, because they always move North. Some block types are generated in the map which cannot be created by the player, such as water, lava and previously ore. These blocks are able to be placed with a map editing program such as Omen.
Infinite
Main Article: Infdev These maps are made up of chunks; as the player explores the map distant chunks are generated automatically, leading to theoretically infinite maps. In practice, rounding errors force a distance cap 32 000 000 blocks from the centre, giving a maximum map size 8 times greater than the surface area of the Earth. [1]
Map features
Hills
Hills are randomly generated pieces of land in the map. Like stairs, hills are always traversable to their highest point by virtue of the algorithm which generates them; there is always a place on each level from where the next level can be accessed, meaning that the player can climb a hill one level at a time until they reach the top.
Cliffs
Cliffs are carved into hills, and sometimes have caves protruding into them. They contain the same blocks that that layer in the hill it is carved out of would contain. This includes ore, rock, and dirt.
Oceans
Are huge bodies of water with every single water tile being a spring.
Lakes
Lakes are geographical features of the map which occur where the level of the land drops below ocean level. Lakes are large bodies of water in which the player is able to swim, and are a large collection of water blocks. Lakes are not part of the ocean, and therefore are finite and may be drained with the proper technique.
Springs
Springs are randomly generated blocks of either lava or water that act as a source of their respective material. While both can be found on the surface, lava springs are more often found underground in caves. Both of these sources can be collected and repositioned via the use of iron buckets. When coming into contact, water will turn lava springs into obsidian, however, if the lava is not a spring, it will form only cobblestone.
Trees
Trees are the structures created both by the automatic generation of the map, and by players (they grow from saplings). They are built out of trunk blocks and leaves. When generated by the map, they are frequently found in groups, in the style of a forest.
Caves
Caves are big holes and tunnels, automatically generated under the ground in various places. Whether they are man-made or generated with the map, they can be useful for several things, such as dungeons, underground structures and lakes. Caves are composed mostly of stone, but frequently contain small amounts of ores, and may contain water or lava.
Veins
Underground while mining, players may come across veins of materials, including coal, iron, gold, redstone (alpha only) and diamond. When destroyed, veins drop the above mentioned materials, which can be used to smelt metals or make torches in the current indev and Alpha version of the game.
Dungeons
A recent update (June 25th), dungeons are small enclosed, one-room spaces underground bordered by Mossy Cobblestone and typically contain chests with some satisfactory loot and a hostile Mob Spawner in the centre. Dungeons are the only place to find apples, saddles, Mob Spawners, and Mossy Cobblestone.
