I remember in Phantasie making full color maps for all three games (I should scan them just for fun). However, the Phantasie games had a fog of war type of map system where as you entered a tile, it stayed revealed. You really only needed a map for the overworld, and only then to help you remember where certain towns, dungeons and other artifacts were, but it certainly wasn't essential. In the dungeons themselves, the dungeon slowly revealed itself as you moved from square to square, and each dungeon was only the size of a single screen, so eventually you would reveal the whole map. So, really, it all depends on the definition of "auto-map".

You mention Wizardry. That's a definite graph paper map game, just like paper D&D. The Dark Spire, the Nintendo DS homage (modern day clone, really), has an auto-map, with the caveat that it doesn't show your location on the map. You need to cast a spell to see where you are on the map. That's a decent compromise, I suppose.

In my opinion, like going to the bathroom, it's only logical that your characters should be aware of and/or be automatically mapping their surroundings. Now, what would be interesting would be to occasionally get disoriented and have to find your place on the map through some gameplay element. That would rebalance things between no map and a full auto-map. Heck, some games even go so far as to automatically journal. How far is too far? I guess it all depends on the design.

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Bill Loguidice, Managing Director
Armchair Arcade, Inc.