Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction

Splinter Cell
Subseries of Tom Clancy
Splinter Cell	2003
Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow	2004
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory	2005
Splinter Cell: Double Agent	2006
Splinter Cell: Conviction	2010
Splinter Cell: Blacklist	2013

Key points

Heavily unoptimized, very bad performance even with modern PC configurations.^[1]

Frame rate is capped at 30 FPS in co-op mode. See High frame rate for a workaround.

General information

Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail
Amazon.com
Green Man Gaming		Deluxe Edition.
Steam		Deluxe Edition.
Ubisoft Store		Deluxe Edition. Included with Ubisoft+.
EA app (unavailable)		Deluxe Edition.

All versions require Ubisoft Connect DRM.

Windows version requires an internet connection to launch (no longer requires a constant connection).^[2]

Ubisoft Connect version contains the Third Echelon Map for the Deniable Ops game mode & the SPAS-12 Shotgun, both of which are not included in the Steam version.

Essential improvements

Patches

All versions of the game update automatically to the latest patch. Previous patches can be found here.

Skip intro videos

Delete or rename video files^[3]
Go to `<path-to-game>\data\Videos\`. Delete or rename `Logo_ESRB_01.bik`, `Logo_ESRB_02.bik`, `Logo_MiddleWare_01.bik`, `Logo_Ubisoft.bik` and `Logo_Clancy_01.bik`.

Disable Black and White Filter in shadows

This mod also disables all other post-processing effects like HDR, depth of field, bloom, distortions on optical cable screen, etc...

Instructions

Download this mod: Removing the Black & White Filter in Shadows, extract the files to <path-to-game>\src\system\ and then press F1 while in-game to disable the black and white filter in shadowed areas.

Notes

It can also be done manually by following the steps presented in the following page: A Guide to Removing the Black & White Filter in Conviction (+ some more neat stuff)

Toggle HUD and Last Known Position silhouette

Instructions

Download this mod: Toggle HUD and last known position (Updated 2018), extract the files to <path-to-game>\src\system\ and then press TAB while in-game to toggle the HUD and last known position silhouette.

Notes

This also hides menus, so it might be necessary to toggle the HUD on when using them. The TAB key is also set to "show objective" by default, so it might be desirable to rebind it.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	%PROGRAMDATA%\Ubisoft\Conviction\ConvictionUserPC.ini^{[Note 1]}
macOS (OS X)
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/33229/pfx/^{[Note 2]}

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	<Ubisoft-Connect-folder>/savegames/<user-id>/2/
macOS (OS X)
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/33229/pfx/^{[Note 2]}

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
EA app
Steam Cloud
Ubisoft Connect

Video

Video settings.

Graphics feature	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen		See the WSGF entry.
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)	Open `<path-to-game>\src\system\Conviction.ini` with a text editor and set `FovAngleDegrees` to the desired FOV value.^{[citation needed]}
Windowed	See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Borderless fullscreen windowed	See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)	Up to 16x, but may not work on modern graphics cards, force in GPU control panel instead.
Anti-aliasing (AA)	Up to 8x MSAA and up to 16x QCSAA.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
60 FPS and 120+ FPS	The frame rate is capped at 120 FPS in singleplayer mode and 30 FPS in co-op mode, although it might be possible to unlock the co-op frame rate cap with a mod. See High frame rate for a workaround. When running at 120 FPS some environmental objects such as flags stop moving. See Flags don't move for a workaround.
High dynamic range display (HDR)	See the glossary page for potential alternatives.
Color blind mode	See the glossary page for potential workarounds.

High frame rate

The frame rate is capped at 30 FPS in co-op mode, but there's a possible fix. This fix lacks instructions and needs testing.

Co-op 30 fps unlocker
https://steamcommunity.com/app/33220/discussions/0/1519260397775827213/

Input

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration		Negative Mouse Acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Keyboard and mouse prompts
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
Full controller support
Controller remapping		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion		Shares the same option with mouse.

Controller types

XInput-compatible controllers
Xbox button prompts
Impulse Trigger vibration

PlayStation controllers

Generic/other controllers

Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Input prompt override
Haptic feedback
Simultaneous controller+KB/M		Only keyboard input is recognized; no mouse input is detected.

Audio

Audio settings.

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls
Surround sound		Options only for 5.1 sound.
Subtitles		Under Gameplay Options.
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
French
German
Hungarian				Fan translation.
Italian
Spanish
Russian				1) Official localization by «Руссобит-М/GFI». Retail only. Patch for digital release here. 2) Unofficial translation presumably «7Wolf» audio.
Polish				Local retail only, download

Network

Multiplayer types

Type	Native	Notes
Local play		Console version only.^[4]
LAN play
Online play

Ports

Protocol	Port(s) and/or port range(s)
TCP	80,3081,3105,22350-22380
UDP	9100,9103,10196

Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.

VR support

3D modes	State	GG3D	Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision			Use Splinter Cell Conviction - 3D Vision Fix.
TriDef 3D
iZ3D

Issues fixed

Loads indefinitely when installed on a drive other than the main C: drive

The game will be stuck on the trifocal loading screen indefinitely after the intro videos when installed on a non-C: drive.

Move the game install to the C: drive^{[citation needed]}

Crash when installed in a Storage Space

The game will refuse to run when installed on a drive which is managed by a Storage Space on Windows 8 and later.

Install the game on a standard drive^{[citation needed]}

Game locks up

The game will hang on some computers and although audio will still play, the frame will occasionally be frozen for a very long time.

Disable hyperthreading from your computer's BIOS setup^{[citation needed]}

Flags don't move

When running at 120 FPS some environmental objects such as flags stop moving, this can be seen on the Iraq level.

Enable V-Sync with the refresh rate set to anything lower than 120Hz or use an external tool to limit the frame rate to any amount below 120 FPS^{[citation needed]}

Black borders with certain aspect ratios

Edit config^[5]

Can be used in non-16:9 widescreen monitors. Will cause a full-height picture with no distortion, a Vert+ FOV and massively squeezed HUD/crosshair/mouse cursor/FMVs. Might not be a better solution compared to the default anamorphism for some people.

Open file C:\ProgramData\Ubisoft\Conviction\ConvictionUserPC.ini
Edit the value so that it is not higher than your aspect ratio:

[Engine.Display]
MinTripleDispRatio=3.9

Unable to connect with a friend in Coop

Follow this guide

Wireless controller not working

Download this fix
Extract to: Splinter Cell Conviction\src\system

Fix was originally made for Assassin's Creed 1 & 2, but also happens to work with Splinter Cell: Conviction.

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	9

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Physics	Havok Physics
Cutscenes	Bink Video

System requirements

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	XP, Vista, 7
Processor (CPU)	Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHz AMD Athlon X2 64 2.4 GHz
System memory (RAM)	1.5 GB (XP) 2 GB (Vista, 7)
Storage drive (HDD/SSD)	10 GB
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce 7800 ATI Radeon X1800 256 MB of VRAM	Nvidia GeForce GTX series ATI Radeon HD 5000 series 512 MB of VRAM

macOS (OS X)
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	10.5, 10.6
Processor (CPU)	Intel Core 2 Duo	Intel Core i7
System memory (RAM)	2 GB
Storage drive (HDD/SSD)	10 GB
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT ATI Radeon HD 2600

Notebook graphics cards may work but are not officially supported.

Notes

↑ When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below %PROGRAMFILES%, %PROGRAMDATA%, or %WINDIR% might be redirected to %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore on Windows Vista and later (more details).
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1
Notes regarding Steam Play (Linux) data:
- File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data.
- Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.
- The app ID (33229) may differ in some cases.
- Treat backslashes as forward slashes.
- See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.

References

↑ Steam Community - last accessed on 2020-11-03
↑ You no longer need an active connection to play Ubisoft PC titles. : gaming
↑ Skip all the intro videos. - last accessed on 2020-11-05
↑ Update 2 / Splinter Cell: Conviction getting split screen - That VideoGame Blog
↑ | WSGF

[gamedir-4] When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below %PROGRAMFILES%, %PROGRAMDATA%, or %WINDIR% might be redirected to %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore on Windows Vista and later (more details).

[Proton_path_note-5] 2.0 ^2.1 Notes regarding Steam Play (Linux) data:
File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data.
Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.
The app ID (33229) may differ in some cases.
Treat backslashes as forward slashes.
See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.

[3] File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data.

[4] Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.

[5] The app ID (33229) may differ in some cases.

[6] Treat backslashes as forward slashes.

[7] See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.

[1] Steam Community - last accessed on 2020-11-03

[2] You no longer need an active connection to play Ubisoft PC titles. : gaming

[3] Skip all the intro videos. - last accessed on 2020-11-05

[6] Update 2 / Splinter Cell: Conviction getting split screen - That VideoGame Blog

[7] | WSGF

[1]

[2]

[3]

[Note 1]

[Note 2]

[4]

[5]

Developers

	Ubisoft Montreal
Windows	Ubisoft Ukraine
macOS (OS X)	Ubisoft Ukraine
Publishers
	Ubisoft
Engines
	LEAD Engine
Release dates
Windows	March 27, 2010
macOS (OS X)	February 17, 2011
Reception
Metacritic	83
IGDB	85
Taxonomy
Monetization	DLC
Modes	Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	Third-person
Controls	Direct control
Genres	Action, Stealth
Art styles	Realistic
Themes	Contemporary, North America, Europe, Middle East
Series	Splinter Cell