Ok, I think I'm starting to get it now, thanks, but what I guess I should ask now is:
1) What does the game engine currently support? Meaning, should I work on a model and eventually create more than one texture file that will work with it, in different resolutions? Does the game engine support multiple possible textures like this and automatically apply the right one based on how close/far the model is from the camera?
...and,
2) If new models are going to be used in the game (with the new animations), should they all, if possible, take advantage of what the graphics engine supports with these features?
I apologize if by chance I'm misunderstanding, in which case feel free to correct me.
On a related point, I recall how sitters explained how a detailed texture could actually be created from a shot of a complex model, then taking that graphic shot and applying it onto a less-detailed physical or flat surface on a lower-poly model. (Bayo, is this close to what you were talking about?)