Yes, patch 3 definately reduced image quality tremendously.

[Fielder 3,673]

Take a look at the white streaks where the red arrows point in these 2 screenshots (done after patch 3). Both were done with MSFS mage quality preset set to Ultra. In the patch 2 version those were not white streaks. They were U.S. postal vehicles (the trucks every letter carrier drives) lined up in rows in front of the building which is of course a post office.

Note please: In patch 2 the same screenshot, you could show it to 100 people who live in the U.S. and ask them "what is this building"?. And every single person would answer that it's a post office because of the postal vehicles lined up in rows. Those vehicle images were 3 dimensional with height, width, depth. But now they aren't even recognizable as even being vehicles, let alone identifiable as postal vehicles. They are flat white streaks, with almost no volume.

I did not change a single setting in MSFS before patch 3 or after patch 3, Display preset was set at Ultra, so it was, and still is Ultra everything.

If you don't realize that the image quality is grossly different after patch 3 it is because you are watching the images from up high and the difference is far, far, less noticeable up there. But if you get into the drone camera and fly the drone around down close to the ground (that's how these 2 pictures were taken), then you will see a huge difference.

It is not a controversy. The image quality has been retarded by patch 3. Definitely.

 

[Fielder 3,673]

Take a look here, this is a typical Walgreens store front. Just a few miles from where I live. In patch 2 the building had huge painted letters running almost along the whole side of the building. The letters were a script "Walgreens". Could be read in MSFS from far away.

After the patch, you cannot see the letters, the building is just a blob.

No display settings were altered at all after patch 3 retarded the image quality. It is still Ultra everything, just as before when running  patch 2.

[Fielder 3,673]

If you flew the drone around your house in the patch 2 version of MSFS, go back and do it again. The difference will be night and day in the detail.

I could see porch, bay window, AC on the roof, chimney, the peaked 2nd story, all in patch 2 version. No our house is just a blob. You can tell it's a house but cannot recognize the main features. I cannot recognize it as my house any longer.

[Fielder 3,673]

oops, false alarm. Asobo did not retard the video graphics. Instead the word not allowed user (me) somehow turned OFF data streaming. As you can see all is now well. Most embarrassing thread, this was, LOL😓

[JacquesBrel 639]

11 hours ago, Fielder said:

Most embarrassing thread, this was, LOL

Also you posted it in the VR subforum, but no worries 🙂