Juicing up my maps in Legends of Adrigal

Development of my RPG, Legends of Adrigal, is underway in RPG Maker VX Ace. The primary aspect of the game in development is the various maps at the beginning of the game. Check out this first explorable area of the game, Mabel Road.

Do you see anything wrong with it? How about looking at the stream dividing the map up? It's unnatural in its design. There are way too many straight sections that in nature wouldn't happen at all. Compare that to the finalized design:

The stream has a lot more jaggedness to it, offering a more natural design. Props like flowers and weeds have been placed in what seems like a random pattern, but this randomness was actually planned by me to again, recreate something that looks natural and made by nature. The paths are weathered to make it look rugged and natural as well. This "juicing" of the map makes it more settling to the eye, thus making it more fun to explore all at the same time.

Let's look at a different example now, the first town in Legends of Adrigal, Mabel. This is around the area where our hero wakes up after entering into the world of the game. Looking at it from this picture, it doesn't seem too bad currently:

But what if we add "juice" this map by adding more to the outer boundaries of the town? Sort of like this:

Now Mabel looks much more interesting to the eye, and it feels more like a town that isn't just plopped in the middle of nowhere. It has some more added life to it, which is just another example of how juicing a map can add more detail, more to see, and more to enjoy.

Those two examples show a little bit about how juicing, or expanding the capabilities of one's design, can make for a more interesting map. If you're making a setting in nature, try to make it as natural as possible. If you're making a town, something man-made, then perhaps being natural isn't as big of a deal. With this quick tip, you can start out with making some really cool designs with little problem!