Don't apologize about RTP usage. Some players don't mind at all, as long as you do interesting things with it. That first forest area though, is not interesting. Keep in mind that most RPGM YouTube reviewers only spend 1 hour on a game, so that first area should be the most interesting to explore, not the least.
My biggest regret with my game is that I reserved the coolest moments towards the end game, instead of doing more to spruce up the opening hours.