After reading some observations that setting certain parameters to their highest would force all LODS to be loaded and thus reduce/remove stuttering, albeit at the cost of FPS, I gave it a go. Everything on highest, at 1960 x 1200 (or thereabouts). No difference.

While I was running the game my brother came in and watched over my shoulder. "What's that stuff doing down there?" he asked. "What stuff, the buildings?" "Yes." "They're popping up, that's how the engine draws them." "It looks #%&*$#."

Not only that but from 2000m altitude they were sparkling/glittering. That old IL2 DX vs Open-GL thing going on.

This with everything set to highest levels, looking atrocious. And it doesn't look any better at 2560 x 1600, just sharper. Same glittering buildings, popping-up in a tsunami wave of absurd ugliness.

Which is something I've not seen mentioned. Because all the focus is on FPS and stutter. Has it not occured to anyone that even if the FPS and stutter issues are cured, even at highest settings there will still be the outrageous pop-up and glittering mess polluting the experience on the ground? If the player is low the pop-up can be hidden to a degree by the relative angle of the player's viewpoint to the horizon, but once up to and above a few hundred meters it's in your face.

Probably not such an issue for the fighter boys, but for bomber crews?

So how about an option to toggle buildings completely off beyond a certain altitude? Because given a choice between seeing the mess they are and not seeing them at all I'd rather the latter. Options are always good, are they not?