I think a lot of the small detail required for a close up 3D model can be omitted for large scenes viewed from a specific angle at a distance like that, so it m

I think a lot of the small detail required for a close up 3D model can be omitted for large scenes viewed from a specific angle at a distance like that, so it maybe ends up being easier in the long run, especially when you start being able to reuse assets (which again, from a distance is easier to do without variation to still have it look good). Almost everything that would require complicating a simple shape for detail purposes could be done through a texture without almost no quality loss, and that's without bump mapping.