I'm not trying to focus on my style of mapping, rather to show what "pushing a vector app for mapping" really means...

Here are several maps of mine that are pretty exclusively using a vector program to create a map, though a few notes have to made in that I sometimes import 3D generated objects as filler material, as well as using photorealistic textures as fills.

Continent of Celanta

Temple of the Sea God

This one incorporates a scanned hand-drawing as part of the map (a process I use quite a bit... Daitengu Mountain Pass

Sea Dragon Temple

All these maps use Xara Xtreme Pro - a vector drawing app, not a Paint program.

Is this what you mean by "pushing a Vector app" as far as it can go?

GP