There's other areas where different sacrifices could be made, instead of the ones we were hit with. Like:
-The neighbour's basketball net, for example. Which is a fully modelled out basketball net with proper textures on everything (including the rope that makes up the actual net, rust on the hoop, hell, the model even has some rim deformity?), even though you'll never get close enough in game to see it as much more than a blur.
-Other background assets seem to be fully modelled and textured as well. Which really doesn't need to be the case with the sides of background houses we'll never see.
-Literally anything that isn't a key landmark or something a player built themselves?