also, just a thought and defiantly something that i will do in the future. any where that you need to grind resources; an forest of trees, a mountain side ect, always build a little homage to it. build wood cutting huts, timber mills, mines and rails, and accommodation to put your workers in.
This starts to evolve the area around you and even if they are not close to your build they will still add character to the landscape.
if you find yourself walking the same path over and over, build a path there. exactly where you are walking. if you fly from place to place, build elitra platforms to dive off/land on.
if a build is taking a long time then build a crane next to it. these small indifferences create the minor details that shape the land.