Comparison Shots: 2020 (Initial Release) vs 2021 (SU5 1.18.14.0)

[Lampenbauer]

Hi folks
(English is not my first language)
I just looked into my screenshot folder for some screenshots of the initial release version. Found some. Taken on August 2020.
The draw distance of the vegetation has increased since the initial release for sure!
The render distance of buildings was decreased since… but not for much. At least not in my cases. Only in one screenshot (174) I was able to see less buildings in SU5 vs Initial Release.

For all screenshots applies: left side SU5, right side initial release (August 2020)
And I tried to replicate the exact same camera view, weather and sun position that I had in 2020. No mods installed, graphic settings at Ultra.
(To see images in full resolution, open the image, right click on it and select “open in new tab”.)

173: Draw distance of buildings and mountains look pretty much the same to me.

174: In this shot you can see on the left (SU5) that the buildings are reduced in density. But vegetation reaches even on top of that mountain ridge.

175: Can’t see less buildings in the distance, but for sure more trees in SU5.

177 & 178: Also more vegetation and no less buildings in SU5.

Unfortunately I’ve never made screenshots near the initial release (or after) of New York or any other super large city, where in IRL you can see buildings up to the horizon. Because maybe the draw distance in those building packed cities has less draw distance to save memory.
(IF X amount of buildings in viewport reduce draw distance )
Maybe one of you has an old screenshot of New York, Tokyo, etc and can make a new one with SU5 and post it here.

So maybe it would be enough to offer a greater range (past 200) of the distance slider in the GUI (the thing everyone is doing right now by hand in the CFG file.).
And of course change the draw behaviour of elements entering the viewport. (Excessive LOD pop-in after SU5)

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[mtjoeng]

Old shadows (right) are better

[SeaNNyT]

This. It creates depth, and depth at distances especially. That is why at distances the the image looks so much more compressed. I feel like SU4 was also largely vastly better than initial release, but we cant really do comparison shots now, obviously.

[GamingCat2130]

Okay, let´s see…

1.)
The cities and buildings haven´t changed.
(No scenery was replaced by “FSX-like” low quality buildings, and no differences in structures and layout of the scenery. No ugly 2D-bitmap trees just being an X of two flat bitmaps but the same real 3D-trees and great 3D trees forest visuals to enjoy on the side of the runways and in the scenery.)

2.)
The overall rendering distance can easily modded on the PC in the config file.

3.)
The quality of the clouds was downgraded several months ago and this awesome icing effects also disappeared to 95% several months ago - with no one writing a single word about it.

But we got the biggest sh*tstorm in history about something that looks the same as before?
Strange strange…

I would recommend Asobo to just upgrade the rendering distance for PC-LODs significantly (for the LOD´s that cannot be modified with a config like airplane LOD´s or shadow culling - double or triple all these draw distances for PC) to have zero immersion-breaking pop-ins and pop-ups on PC.
And bring the old clouds with shading and shadowing and this cool icing visuals back, and everyone should be fully happy

[ImmergingWheel7]

Wao maybe my eyes are getting old and tired. But I would probably need to spend 3 days spotting the diferences.

[BobbyFuzzy]

Not initial release but here’s some from New York in November last year, compared with now.

Tried to use as similar conditions as possible. I think the older shots have a bit more aerosol density but other than that the lighting is pretty much matching.

They look identical to me…

November 2020:

Today:

November 2020:

Today:

[Lampenbauer]

Thanks for that!

The geometrics of buildings in the distance got a bit better since your 2020 screenshots.

[ClayishCoast9]

La Paz approach. Top November 2020 (late afternoon, live time/weather), Bottom August 2021 (Date, time & weather matched to original as close as I could get). Originally 4k at 200 LOD & Ultra settings, images reduced to HD:

Florence Photogrammetry, again - v6 (Nov 2020) top, v18 (Aug 2021, Date/Time matched):

Departing El Coco, Costa Rica, as the others - v6 top, v18 btm:

EDIT: Labeled as v1.6 … may have been V1.8 by Nov?. but the date is correct.

[meurkel]

Sim update 5 looks better to me

[GridRisen]

So I was right in saying that sim update 5 is the best looking and best peforming update till now. From these screenshots, its very clear Sim Update 5 looks better than the initial release.

[Stardrifter2232]

Out of curiosity do you use HDR or SDR? I’m on an SDR monitor and are one of the folks getting some “washed out” experience but in all of your SU5 screenshots the world looks delightfully contrasted.

[Lampenbauer]

If this question is for me - I am on SDR, my widescreen doesn’t have HDR. No color/contrast changes via NVIDIA control panel either. Everything regarding that (color/contrast) is on default in Windows, NVIDIA an MSFS.