I’ll repost this from my posts on Avsim.
First the method in this message, and then some images showing the results. I am at KMOD and slewing upward. Notice decreased fps on ground at no fps decrease at 900 feet above ground level.
This is a bug in MSFS! The drop in fps only happens in the USA. All over the USA, Seattle or anywhere else. Not in the rest of the world.
There are 3 methods of doing the same thing to make this bug go away.
1 Move 9 folders manually in and out of Official/Steam.
2 Move the same folders with MSFS Content Manager in and out of Official\Steam.
Or 3 Move those 9 folders with Addons Linker in and out of Community folder (instead of Official\Steam folder).
(If you have the MS store version, the folder ‘Steam’ will have a different name of course).
These are the 9 (as they are listed in content manager):
ITALY - 3D PHOTOGRAMMETRY CITIES
FRANCE - 3D PHOTOGRAMMETRY CITIES
AUSTRAILIA - 3D PHOTOGRAMMETRY CITIES
UK - 3D PHOTOGRAMMETRY CITIES
IBERIA - 3D PHOTOGRAMMETRY CITIES
GERFMANY - 3D PHOTOGRAMMETRY CITIES
USA - 3D PHOTOGRAMMETRY CITIES
GOTY - 3D PHOTOGRAMMETRY CITIES
JAPAN - 3D PHOTOGRAMMETRY CITIES
And here are those 9 folders as they appear in Official\Steam folder
fs-base-coverage-map-italy-tin
fs-base-coverage-france-tin
fs-base-coverage-australia-tin
fs-base-coverage-uk-tin
fs-base-coverage-iberia-tin
fs-base-coverage-germany-tin
fs-base-coverage-us2-tin
fs-base-coverage-goty-tin
fs-base-coverage-japan-tin
For anyone coming late to this thread: Leave photogrammetry on in the options. It is one of the glories of MSFS. It is only the 9 photogrammetry folders which cause poor fps in the USA. And only at heights below about 850 feet above ground level.
A couple of other users here came up with this great idea; These 9 folders need not be deleted in Content Manager. Instead you can move them to your Community folder when not flying in the USA. Move only those 9 folders from Community to any holding folder when flying in the USA.
One easy way to remove and restore them in and out of Community is to use Addons Manager.
Or you can install and remove them in MSFS Content Manager (search in content manager for ‘Photogrammetry Cities’ to get only those 9 listed in Content Manager). They will be removed or added under the Official folders instead of Community.
Or just move them manually using File Explorer.
We start with no files deleted. Everything like Asobo wants it to be. We are at KMOD I am locked V-Sync 30 fps in MSFS options. Raising altitude straight upward with Slew keys.
ground (80 ft ASL) 23.3 fps.
300 feet high: 25.8 fps
867 feet high: 29.9 fps
We see severe fps loss at ground level which goes away as we rise above sea level.
Next test we go to content manager and remove 9 photogrammetry files.
(You can’t delete WU 2 (USA #1) and WU 5 (Nordics) photogrammetry. You can remove the GOTY game of the year Sim Update photogrammetry cities). 10 -2 +1 = 9
==> Exit MSFS and reboot it up and the changes take effect.
Same everything here except those 9 missing files. Nothing about photogrammetry at KMOD Modesto, California was removed (it would have been in WU 2 which we can’t delete).
Ground level full 30.0 fps. Before we removed those files it was 23.3!
–
So when you read something from several members here that removing photogrammetry cities increases performance at ground level in the USA here, it is true.