Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones

Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones

Developers
	Ubisoft Montreal
	Ubisoft Casablanca
macOS (OS X)	TransGaming Inc.
Publishers
	Ubisoft
Engines
	Jade
Release dates
Windows	December 1, 2005
macOS (OS X) (Cider)	October 6, 2008
Reception
Metacritic	85
IGDB	80
Taxonomy
Monetization	One-time game purchase, Subscription gaming service
Modes	Singleplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	Third-person, Bird's-eye view
Controls	Direct control
Genres	Action, Adventure, Platform
Themes	Fantasy, Middle East
Series	Prince of Persia

Prince of Persia
Prince of Persia	1989
Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame	1993
Prince of Persia 3D	1999
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time	2003
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within	2004
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones	2005
Prince of Persia (2008)	2008
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands	2010
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown	2024
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake	TBA

Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones is a singleplayer third-person and bird's-eye view action, adventure and platform game in the Prince of Persia series.

General information

Ubisoft game page

Ubisoft forums for game series

GOG.com Community Discussions for game series

GOG.com Support Page

Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		Releases with key code printed on media have StarForce 3.6.10.06 DRM. Releases with no key code on media use a simple disc check.
GamersGate
GOG.com
Green Man Gaming
Humble Store
Steam
Ubisoft Store		Included with Ubisoft+
Games for Windows Marketplace (unavailable)

StarForce DRM for this game does not work on modern versions of Windows (see above for affected versions).

Monetization

Type	Notes
One-time game purchase	The game requires an upfront purchase to access.
Subscription gaming service	Available via Ubisoft+.

Essential improvements

Unofficial Patch

Corrects many problems with camera and mouse input. Adds 16:9 support, 60 FPS cap and additional fixes, including fix for Middle Tower springboard glitch.

Includes Uncensor mod

Includes Reduced Bloom mod

High camera sensitivity for controller users (see below)

Instructions
Download the Unofficial Patch from this archive. Go to <path-to-game> Extract all the files from Unofficial_Patch.zip file to this location. Notes For controller users, copy everything except for the replacement executable (note that without the executable, FOV changes will not be applied). pop3.bf contains the the Middle Tower springboard fix. Adjust MSAA using the graphics card control panel.

Adjust FOV with unofficial patch
FOV can be adjusted by modifying the executable with any hex editor (e.g. HxD). In HxD, jump to address offset 000B2C20 Select the 66. In the data inspector on the right, the Single (float32) value should be roughly 1.799999999. Adjust this number to your preference. The unofficial patch defaults to 1.80, while the original game uses 1.00.

Skip intro videos

Delete or rename video files
Go to <path-to-game>\Video. Delete or rename LOGORP.BIK, UBIMC.BIK and UBISOFT.BIK.

Skip loading screens

Delete or rename video files
Go to <path-to-game>\Video. Delete or rename LOADIN0.BIK, LOADLOP0.BIK and LOADOUT0.BIK. Download this blank video file and replace the original GO_GEN.BIK with it. Notes Game language file names might differ (e.g.: LOADIN4.BIK, LOADLOP4.BIK and LOADOUT4.BIK stand for german). Loading screens, intro videos and FMVs will be skipped automatically.

Game data

In-game general settings

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\
macOS (OS X)
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/13530/pfx/

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\POP3Profiles\
macOS (OS X)
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/13530/pfx/

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
GOG Galaxy
Steam Cloud
Ubisoft Connect

Video

In-game general video settings

In-game advanced video settings

Graphics feature	State	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution			Very limited resolution choices. See Widescreen resolution.
Multi-monitor			See Widescreen resolution.
Ultra-widescreen			See Widescreen resolution.
4K Ultra HD			See Widescreen resolution.
Field of view (FOV)		See Widescreen resolution.
Windowed		See Windowed.
Borderless fullscreen windowed		See Windowed.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anti-aliasing (AA)		Up to 4x MSAA. Can be improved to 8x through the graphics card control panel.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
60 FPS
120+ FPS		Multiple issues above 60 FPS. Use Unofficial Patch to have 60FPS lock.
High dynamic range display (HDR)		See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Widescreen resolution

Use Unofficial Patch

Apply widescreen fix and set the desired resolution

For non-GOG versions: Download Widescreen fix by nemesis2000 GOG.com version: Download from PCGW Mirror instead Extract pop3.7z files to <path-to-game> (password: pop3). For the GOG.com version, run UPX.bat included in the archive. Edit pop3.ini to set your resolution and FOV multiplier. Notes Supported exe size: 6 344 704 bytes. Can be used together with the Unofficial Patch or the Uncensor Mod if preferred to the uncensor mod's built in option. Disable all resolution related options in patch.ini, then use the widescreen patch. For the unofficial patch, you may need to adjust the FOV or it will appear too zoomed out.

Field of view (FOV)

Use Unofficial Patch

Use Widescreen fix

Windowed

Use Unofficial Patch

Use DxWnd

Download and run DxWnd as administrator. Click on Edit, then Add. Set name to Prince of Persia - The Two Thrones. Set path to <path-to-game>\pop3.exe. Set launch to <path-to-game>\PrinceOfPersia.exe. Set Acquire admin caps. Set Desktop for borderless fullscreen windowed. Click on DirectX tab, set DirectX9. Click on Mouse tab, set Cursor visibility to Hide. Click OK, then File and Save. Run the game directly from DxWnd. Notes Make sure that PrinceOfPersia.exe and pop3.exe have no compatibility mode enabled.

Post-processing

Disable post-processing effects[citation needed]
Use 3D Vision fix to toggle the blur, bloom and heat distortion effects.

Input

In-game keyboard/mouse settings

In-game gamepad settings

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration		Forced Analog emulation and massive deadzone on mouse Use Unofficial Patch to fix it.
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
Full controller support
Controller remapping
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion

Controller types

XInput-compatible controllers
Xbox button prompts
Impulse Trigger vibration

DualShock 4 controllers
DualShock button prompts		See Button prompts.
Light bar support
Connection modes	unknown

Generic/other controllers		Generic DirectInput controllers are supported.
Button prompts

Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Haptic feedback
Simultaneous controller+KB/M

Button prompts

Works for the entire trilogy.

Two Thrones supports XInput and displays button prompts for Xbox 360 controllers, but does not seem to work for other XInput-compatible controllers. Functionality can be restored using a DirectInput wrapper workaround.

Instructions

Go to the installation folder. Open POPDATA.BF with a text editor such as Notepad ++. Press Ctrl+F and find the line Input event names. Under it, go to Gamepads then change the buttons to what you want. Notes Make sure you don't increase or decrease the file size as it will make the game crash. Xbox replacement POPDATA.BF file can be used for dual XInput and DirectInput-compatible controllers in DirectInput mode. DualShock 4 replacement POPDATA.BF file can be used (only for The Two Thrones). DualShock 4 works only with wired connection, unlike Sands of Time or Warrior Within.

Controller not responding in game

Run game in Windows XP Service Pack 2 compatibility mode[citation needed]

If only profile selection works you need to set the controls again

Audio

In-game audio settings

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls
Surround sound		Up to 7.0 output
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
EAX support		EAX Unified (compatible with EAX 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0)
Royalty free audio

May require DirectSound3D restoration software to enable EAX and surround sound functionality on Windows Vista and later.

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
Czech				Retail only. Patch for digital release here.
French
German
Italian				Retail, steam and Ubisoft Connect only. Patch for the GOG release here.
Polish				Retail only. Patch for digital release here.
Russian				Retail and GOG.com version. Official localization by «Akella». Patch for other digital releases here.
Spanish

VR support

3D modes	State	Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision		See Helix Mod: Prince of Persia The Two Thrones
vorpX		G3D User created game profile, see vorpx forum profile introduction.

Issues fixed

Launcher not working

Run PrinceOfPersia.exe as administrator

Registry edit method 1
Download this archive and extract the contents. Open one of the REG files with notepad according to your OS. Change Product_Path and Profiles_Path with your own game location. Save the REG file and use it to apply the changes.

Registry edit method 2
Press ⊞ Win+R, type regedit and click OK. Go to: For x86, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Ubisoft\Prince of Persia The Two Thrones\1.00.999. For x64, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Ubisoft\Prince of Persia The Two Thrones\1.00.999. Change Product_Path and Profiles_Path with your own game location.

If still not working, try setting compatibility mode to Windows XP.^{[citation needed]}

Run pop3.exe from the main game directory while the launcher is open
The launcher just has to be running for the pop3.exe to launch happily. From limited testing this seems to potentially auto populate the above reg key.

Use launcher skip

Basically some scripts and a steam launch option change will do the above option for you and make the game start regardless. Simply download the zip for the two thrones from here and put the .bat files from the zip folder into <path-to-game>. In steam go to the two thrones properties and add the following to launch options pop3launcherskip.bat %command%. Once you've done that start the game and after seeing the launcher for a second the game will just start. Notes read the file description for specifics. This was made with the steam version in mind and has not been tested with other versions. Is not a true launcher bypass as the launcher still needs to run in the background.

Use Unofficial Patch or the Uncensor Mod and just run pop3.exe

High frame rate issues

Issues include random hang ups on loading screen, audio becomes desynchronized, cutscenes and parkour might behave unexpectedly if the frame rate is above 60 FPS.

Use Unofficial Patch to have 60FPS lock

Enable external framerate cap
Nvidia users can use Nvidia Control Panel or Nvidia Inspector. AMD users can use AMD Chill or Framerate Target Control option to do the same.

Middle Tower springboard glitch

In the Middle Tower section, towards the end of the game, there is a springboard that leads to a dagger stab point. The Prince cannot stab this point and falls to his death.

Use Unofficial Patch, which corrects the issue.

Release wallrun button before reaching springboard, then proceed normally (the Prince will still reach the springboard even with a shorter wallrun). This will spring the Prince into a slightly different position that can reliably use the dagger plate even at higher framerates.

Limit the frame rate to 30 FPS.

Enable Alt+F4

Instructions
Download SuperF4, Install and run it. Press Ctrl+Alt+F4 simultaneously to exit the game.

Alt+Tab not working

After opening the game, pressing Alt+Tab ↹ does not return to the desktop

Before entering the game, open a folder or a txt file and then enter the game.

MSAA can cause bloom glitches

In-game MSAA option can cause the bloom effect to be rendered wrong.

Disable in-game MSAA option and force it through the GPU control panel[citation needed]

Use Unofficial Patch which uses DgVoodoo to replace the in game MSAA

Unable to use some buttons with XInput controllers

While The Two Thrones is the first game in the trilogy to support XInput (and native Xbox button prompts), support is broken and the triggers and analog stick buttons may not work correctly.

If the controller supports multiple modes, switch from XInput to DirectInput and rebind buttons in the game options.

Only the triggers are affected so using the bumpers for block and rewind will work fine.

For XInput Controllers:

Use XInput Plus

Download and run XInput Plus. Set Target Program to <path-to-game>\pop3.exe. Go to the DirectInput tab and check Enable DirectInput Output In the same tab, set LT/RT to Button12/13. Under Advanced in the DirectInput tab, check Disable XInput. Under Dll Files in the Setting tab, enable XInput9_1_0.dll (this is the specific XInput version the game uses) Click Apply and DLL files will be installed to the game directory. Run the game and rebind buttons in the options. Notes Restore Xbox button prompts using the linked replacement POPDATA.BF file. If pressing the Left Stick fully makes you walk instead of running: - Go to Sticks tab, then Left Stick tab and reduce Saturation in 5% increments until rectified.

Use Steam Input
Map Left Trigger to R key on keyboard. Map Right Trigger to Right Click on mouse. Notes Game may display keyboard prompts intermittently.[citation needed] Search for community layout "ttt xbox style" which is pre-assembled to fix the issue.

Sensitivity issues for gamepads

The game has sensitivity issues with diagonal input for gamepads (running diagonally does not work).

Set the gamepad speed to +1.25 in the gamepad options[citation needed]

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	9.0c

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

Extract all Voice, SFX & Music files

Instructions
Download from official site or direct link or mirror. Extract all files to <path-to-game>\Sound and run tt_extract_and_convert_music.bat. As soon as it's finished, check the newly created !audio folder. Note For more information, you can check the README.txt file inside the archive.

Mods

Uncensor Mod

Restores decapitations removed from the EU version, removes save checksum protection, ignores launcher requirements, shows more resolutions and adds the ability to unlock all videos instantly.

Cutscenes are very slightly stretched. If this bothers you use nemesis2000's widescreen fix instead.

Notes

Included in Unofficial Patch

Install Uncensor Mod
Download Uncensor Mod. Copy BinkW32.dll, patch.dll and patch.ini to <path-to-game>. Enable or disable the various features by editing patch.ini.

Kindred Blades Mod

This mod aims to get closer to the original pre-release vision for Prince of Persia 3 as seen during E3 2005, more in line with the darker aesthetic from Warrior Within.
Includes better character models, better lighting (and fixed bloom effects), upscaled textures, new skyboxes, decapitation, blood and more.

Install Kindred Blades Mod
Download Kindred Blades Mod. Copy all files to <path-to-game>.

Reduced Bloom

Bloom in the base game of The Two Thrones on PC appears stronger compared to other versions of the game.

Mod uses HelixMod to replace bloom shader with alternative reduced bloom replacement. It also incorporates nemesis2000's widescreen fix.

Install Reduced Bloom Mod
Download Reduced Bloom Mod. Copy all files to <path-to-game>. For the GOG.com version, run UPX.bat included in the archive. Edit pop3.ini to set your resolution and FOV multiplier.

System requirements

Windows

macOS (OS X)

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	2000	XP
Processor (CPU)	Intel Pentium III 1.0 GHz AMD Athlon 1.0 GHz	Intel Pentium 4 1.5 GHz AMD Athlon 1.5 GHz
System memory (RAM)	256 MB	512 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	1.5 GB
Video card (GPU)	32 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0c compatible	128 MB of VRAM
Other	16X CD-ROM or 4X DVD-ROM

Supported ATI chipsets: 7500/8500/9000/X series.

Supported Nvidia chipsets: GeForce 3/4/5/FX/6/7 series.

The Nvidia GeForce4 MX is not supported.