An example of "level 2" landscape geometry: properly topologized, properly-textured (paths, beaches, water, cliffs), and fully walkable. Judging scale and distance gets much easier due to the texture detail, which helps the brain assess the environment better. I'm starting to properly model the terrain like this now.
Then, once trees and plants and people exist in the landscape, and once there is proper lighting and atmospherics (in Unity), it will become even easier to judge scale and distance, and it'll be easier to tell which areas need to be shrunk, enlarged, or need more detailed sub-regions modeled within them.
Here's the original fb UDIC post.
