Map Scaling: how to?

I'm building a 3rd-person action-RPG, and the map has lots of larger open areas separated by smaller paths through the mountains/hills/trees... This is influcenced by older 2-D RPG's where each section of the map was 1 "screen" with specific spots where you could walk to the next screen.

While the smaller mountain passes, and paths through the woods are looking exactly how I imagined them, the larger more open areas are about 10-20% BIGGER than I expected them to be. The problem is it takes too long to walk around the world.

At this point re-drawing the map isn't much of an option. What are possible solutions?


Some thing i'm considering but don't know how to do are:

- Scale the map a little bit (on the x/y plane).
- I can do this a little, but the narrow areas and separations between areas (moutains, rockwalls etc.) can't be scaled down to much.

- Perhaps I could speed up the players rate of travel?
- Maybe make the player-charecter BIGGER?

I'm open to ideas!
thanks,
Raven