This is also how Trespasser dealt with far geometry in 1998 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trespasser_(video_game)#Develo...
Started top be used again with introduction of directx 9.0 under a name Impostors http://www.tommironty.fi/screenshots/Imposters/dynamic_2d_im... https://software.intel.com/content/www/us/en/develop/article... https://developer.nvidia.com/gpugems/gpugems3/part-iv-image-...
here at work in COD warzone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=691&v=mvdTtl27TpM