worked a little bit more on the model, for the fist time in a LONG time iv'e been able to focus on just this. I decided to go w/ duplicating alot of small, low-detail models over and over again, the shot im planning on making is from far away, so it doesnt require alot, when it comes to rendering the final pic, im going to be focusing mainly on the lighting and scale. I would have gone w/ terrains, but after many unsuccesful tries, i realized my terrain editing skills just arent good enough yet. so far the model is around 54,000 polys, which is relativley low, saving times are going to kill me by the time im done though! big thanks to everyone for their input earlier, and thanks for any feedback!