Deus Ex: Mankind Divided has a unique approach to terrain rendering that includes using a translucent material and soft blending with objects. This surprising technique is achieved by rendering the terrain after all opaque objects and in the depth buffer. The article explores potential problems with the approach, including sorting issues and potentially rendering opaque objects that are completely occluded by the terrain. However, the author argues that the benefits of the technique, such as avoiding sorting issues and blending particles with the terrain, outweigh the potential drawbacks. The article includes examples and details the process step-by-step.
https://simonschreibt.de/gat/deus-ex-alpha-terrain/