This is the first Map I ever made, I'm still getting used to pixel art and animating so...yeah... A basic park, with a cityscape in the background. Can't get any more simple than that.
I'm no expert on maps. At all. Nor am I even a novice; I just have nothing to do with them, lol. I've only made one, ever, and I just generally don't touch them. So take all of this with a grain of salt. It's pretty big, and as you said, very simple, so I can think of some things it'd be good for that other maps wouldn't work as well for. My only qualm with it is that the fence really blends in with the ground. At first, I didn't even think there was a ground surface. Hey, also, who are you? o_O (that means you should make an introduction post :D)
I'm not really a map expert either, but I do like to build my own maps, so I'll give my input about what I thought from looking at your map. Overall, looking at this map does give the viewer the sense that this is a city park which is a very important aspect of map-building, but you can turn this city park you have into something more immersive while keeping it simple. The grouping of the city buildings in the background are fine, but the copy+paste of it on both sides with a slight size variation makes it feel like filler (with a gap in the center of the map). Similarly, the trees in the foreground are placed closely to their horizontally-flipped versions (or another copy of itself) which seemed to stand out to me because the color of the leaves of the trees are slightly different from one another but grouping the same trees condense the same color in one area. Also, just to add details to the sky so that it's not so empty with that much space, you can add clouds or perhaps even an airplane since it's a city-themed map. On that note, since it's a park, perhaps you can add a couple of objects that you would find in a park (benches, trash cans, lampposts, etc.) to either the area behind the fence or in front of it depending on how you intend to use the map. like kim said, it would be a nice gesture to introduce yourself in the introduction section of the forum~
First of all, the front map tiles (road) are too small, and it's bassicly only the top of it, you'll have to add the rest. I really like what you did with the other 2.5d floors (Grass) but the trees aren't allinged properly and make them look weird. Don't copy + paste the same big image (City for this example) to make it look more detailed, more "full". It often ruins the look The fence on the other hand, is quite big. It's big and don't fit for the overall theme for me. I'd replace them with one of the edelstein ones. (Hit me up if u need parts) Last of all. This map isn't straight forward. Often not-straight forward give you an atmosphere of mystery @Tra-La-Tracey can teach you alot 'bout that. But your map, is a mess.I don't know if it's a prark, a outline etc. The back trees ruin the look, and you can easily replae them with alot more detail. It'll give your map a HUGE boost. Also, the trees don' fit the color sheeme imo. They're too "realistic", and look more like art with that pallet than sprites. But maybe that's just me. Overall it's pretty good, (better than mine), focus on getting the right elements for you map and keeping the color pattern on certain places. Make your maps simple to understand, unless you're going for some epic shit. Again, @Tra-La-Tracey will help you /w that. Add more trees, and more detail onto the bg (city). One tip that might help you, (it helped me alot). Watch Aquila's/Joey's/Lynus/Tracey's/Aidans map. They're the best ones who i can think of atm. They're pretty much godly. Each have different styles, and capture the atmosphere really well. i'd ask Aidan and Tracey for now if i were you :L Good luck!
Generally not really a fan of repeats. Tiles and trees look like they're repeated (pattern wise). Pretty clean simple clean tho.
I DON'T MAKE ATMOSPHERIC MAPS I JUST MAKE MAPS FOR MY SERIES WHEN CONVENIENT But if I had to give my two cents on this map, it definitely fits its description, a simple park. :DD but why stop there? Now that you popped your pixel map cherry, it can only go uphill from here! Feel free to experiment and try to add stuff, even if you think they won't fit. You never know what you'll find. :DD What Kira said, I'm not a fan of repeats myself. Even though you're going for a simple park theme, Add some dynamic-nicity (is that even a word? LOL) to your background! Yes, the grass tiles are nice, but what about some small hills or flowers, or bushes, or bunnies (actually scratch that, but you get my idea :D)? Maybe a swing set, or a trash can, a sign, etc!? What kind of atmosphere are you trying to create? What kind of map are you trying to create? Can you imagine someone putting a character or two in your map? If so, doing what? You probably don't have to go all elaborate like that, but don't be afraid to go ham on your map! You learn as you go and you'll know what works and what doesn't. :) This is a really first good map though! My only gripe is no clouds :'( The sky is looking a little lonely. But that's just me, haha.
