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Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones cover
Developers
Ubisoft Montreal
Ubisoft Casablanca
macOS (OS X) TransGaming Inc.[1]
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, Puzzle
Art styles Realistic
Themes Fantasy, Middle East
Series Prince of Persia
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones on HowLongToBeat
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones on IGDB
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones guide on StrategyWiki
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones on MobyGames
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones on Wikipedia
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

Warnings

The macOS (OS X) version of this game does not work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later due to the removal of support for 32-bit-only apps.

Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones is a singleplayer third-person and bird's-eye view action, adventure, platform and puzzle 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
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
Releases with key code printed on media have StarForce 3.6.10.06 DRM[Note 1].
Releases with no key code on media use a simple disc check.
Windows
Epic Games Store
Icon overlay.png
Windows
GamersGate
Icon overlay.png
Windows
GOG.com
DRM-free
Windows
Green Man Gaming
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Humble Store
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Steam
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Ubisoft Store
Icon overlay.png
Included with Ubisoft+
Windows
Games for Windows Marketplace (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
[4]
Windows
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

Fixes many issues with camera and mouse input, adds 16:9 support, 60 FPS cap along additional fixes and includes fix for Middle Tower springboard glitch.
Includes Uncensor mod.
Includes Reduced Bloom mod.
High camera sensitivity for controller users (see below).
Instructions
  1. Download the Unofficial Patch from here.
  2. Copy all files from the archive to <path-to-game>.

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 GPU control panel.
Adjust FOV with unofficial patch
  1. Open pop3.exe with a hex editor like HxD.
  2. Press Ctrl+G and type the following offset address: 000B2C20.
  3. Select 66. In the Data inspector tab on the right, the Single (float32) value should be roughly 1.799999999.
    Adjust this number to the desired one. The unofficial patch defaults to 1.80, while the original game uses 1.00.

Skip intro videos

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

Skip loading screens

Delete or rename video files
  1. Go to <path-to-game>\Video.
  2. Delete or rename LOADIN0.BIK, LOADLOP0.BIK and LOADOUT0.BIK.
  3. 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
In-game general settings

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows <path-to-game>\[Note 2]
macOS (OS X)
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/13530/pfx/[Note 3]

Save game data location

System Location
Windows <path-to-game>\POP3Profiles\[Note 2]
macOS (OS X)
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/13530/pfx/[Note 3]

Save game cloud syncing

Video

In-game general video settings
In-game general video settings
In-game advanced 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.
High-fidelity upscaling
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
60 FPS
120+ FPS
Multiple issues above 60 FPS. Use Unofficial Patch to have 60 FPS 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[5]
  1. For non-GOG versions: Download Widescreen fix by nemesis2000
  2. GOG.com version: Download from PCGW Mirror instead
  3. Extract pop3.7z files to <path-to-game> (password: pop3).
  4. For the GOG.com version, run UPX.bat included in the archive.
  5. Edit pop3.ini to set the desired 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, the FOV may need to be adjusted or it will appear too zoomed out.

Field of view (FOV)

Use Unofficial Patch
Use Widescreen fix

Windowed

Use Unofficial Patch
Use DxWnd[6]
  1. Download and run DxWnd as administrator.
  2. Click on Edit, then Add.
  3. Set name to Prince of Persia - The Two Thrones.
  4. Set path to <path-to-game>\pop3.exe.
  5. Set launch to <path-to-game>\PrinceOfPersia.exe.
  6. Set Acquire admin caps.
  7. Set Desktop for borderless fullscreen windowed.
  8. Click on DirectX tab, set DirectX9.
  9. Click on Mouse tab, set Cursor visibility to Hide.
  10. Click OK, then File and Save.
  11. 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 blur, bloom and heat distortion effects.

Input

In-game keyboard/mouse settings
In-game keyboard/mouse settings
In-game gamepad settings
In-game gamepad settings

Button prompts

Works for the entire trilogy.
The game supports XInput and displays button prompts for Xbox 360 controllers, but does not seem to work for other XInput-compatible controllers.[7]
Functionality can be restored using a DirectInput wrapper workaround.
Instructions[8]
  1. Go to the installation folder.
  2. Open POPDATA.BF with a text editor such as Notepad ++.
  3. Press Ctrl+F and find the line Input event names.
  4. Under it, go to Gamepads then change the buttons to the desired ones.

Notes

Make sure file size isn't increased or decreased as it will make the game crash.
The Xbox replacement POPDATA.BF file can be used for controllers with dual compatibility in DirectInput mode.
The DualShock 4 replacement POPDATA.BF file can be used (only for The Two Thrones).
DualShock 4 works only with wired connection, unlike The Sands of Time or Warrior Within.

Audio

In-game audio settings
In-game audio settings

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Surround sound
Up to 7.0 output.[9]
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
  1. Download this archive and extract the contents.
  2. Open one of the REG files with notepad according to the OS being used.
  3. Change Product_Path and Profiles_Path with the game's location.
  4. Save the REG file and use it to apply the changes.
Registry edit method #2
  1. Press Win+R, type regedit and click OK.
  2. 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.
  3. Change Product_Path and Profiles_Path with the game's location.

Notes

If still not working, try setting compatibility mode to Windows XP.[citation needed]
Run pop3.exe from the game directory while the launcher is open

Notes

The launcher must be running for pop3.exe to be launched correctly.
From limited testing, this seems that this automatically populates the above REG key.
Use launcher skip
  1. Download the ZIP file from here and copy both BAT files into <path-to-game>.
  2. In Steam/GOG Galaxy, add the following command to the game launch options: pop3launcherskip.bat %command%.
  3. Finally, run the game.

Notes

For further details, read the file description.
Tested with both Steam and GOG.com versions.
This is not a true launcher bypass, as the launcher still has to run in the background.
Use Unofficial Patch or Uncensor Mod and just run pop3.exe
Use Widescreen Launcher v2

Non-Steam:

  1. Download the launcher and extract its contents to <path-to-game>.
  2. Run _Prince Of Persia Two Thrones.exe as administrator.

Steam (Windows/Linux):

  1. Download the launcher and extract its contents to <path-to-game>.
  2. Rename the following files:
    • PrinceOfPersia.exe to PrinceOfPersiaSteam.exe.
    • _Prince Of Persia Two Thrones.exe to PrinceOfPersia.exe.
    • _Prince Of Persia Two Thrones.ini to PrinceOfPersia.ini.
  3. Open PrinceOfPersia.ini with any text editor, and edit the following line:
    • exe_run = PrinceOfPersia.exe to exe_run = PrinceOfPersiaSteam.exe.
  4. Run the game from Steam. If the PLAY button is still greyed out, then click on QUIT and the game should start.

Notes

It is recommended to be used in combination with the Unofficial Patch.
If combined with the Unofficial Patch, extract everything except for d3d9.dll from the 7z file.

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
Use external FPS limiter
  1. Nvidia users can use Nvidia Control Panel or Nvidia Inspector.
  2. 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
Release the wallrun button before reaching the springboard, then proceed normally.

Notes

The Prince will reach the springboard even with a shorter wallrun.
The Prince will assume a slightly different position, which allows the dagger plate to be used even at higher frame rate.[10]
Limit the frame rate to 30 FPS[11]

Enable Alt+F4

Instructions
  1. Download SuperF4, Install and run it.
  2. 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 to replace the in-game MSAA

Unable to use some buttons with XInput controllers

Support for XInput controllers is broken. Triggers and analog stick buttons may not work correctly.[12][13]
If the controller supports multiple modes, switch from XInput to DirectInput and rebind buttons in the game options.[14]
Use bumpers instead
Use XInput Plus[15]
  1. Download and run XInput Plus.
  2. Set Target Program to <path-to-game>\pop3.exe.
  3. Go to the DirectInput tab and check Enable DirectInput Output.
  4. In the same tab, set LT/RT to Button12/13.
  5. Under Advanced in the DirectInput tab, check Disable XInput.
  6. Under Dll Files in the Setting tab, enable XInput9_1_0.dll (this is the specific XInput version the game uses[16]).
  7. Click Apply and DLL files will be installed to the game directory.
  8. 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 Prince walk instead of running:
- Go to Sticks tab, then Left Stick tab and reduce Saturation in 5% increments until rectified.
Use Steam Input
  1. Map Left Trigger to R key on keyboard.
  2. Map Right Trigger to Right-Click on mouse.

Notes

The 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]

Controller not working

Set the compatibility mode to Windows XP (Service Pack 2)[citation needed]
If only profile selection works, you need to set the controls again.

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 9.0c
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)
This 32-bit-only macOS game does not work on macOS Catalina (10.15) or later.

Extract all Voice, SFX & Music files

Instructions
  1. Download from official site or direct link or mirror.
  2. Extract all files to <path-to-game>\Sound and run tt_extract_and_convert_music.bat.
  3. As soon as it's finished, check the newly created !audio folder.

Notes

For more information, 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 is bothersome, use nemesis2000's widescreen fix instead.
Included in the Unofficial Patch.
Install Uncensor Mod
  1. Download Uncensor Mod.
  2. Copy BinkW32.dll, patch.dll and patch.ini to <path-to-game>.
  3. 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
  1. Download Kindred Blades Mod.
  2. Copy all files to <path-to-game>.

Reduced Bloom

In the base game on PC, Bloom appears stronger compared to other versions of the game.
Uses HelixMod to replace bloom shader with alternative reduced bloom replacement. It also incorporates nemesis2000's widescreen fix.
Install Reduced Bloom Mod
  1. Download Reduced Bloom Mod.
  2. Copy all files to <path-to-game>.
  3. For the GOG.com version, run UPX.bat included in the archive.
  4. Edit pop3.ini to set the desired resolution and FOV multiplier.

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 2000
Processor (CPU) Intel Pentium III 1.0 GHz
AMD Athlon 1.0 GHz
System memory (RAM) 256 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 1.5 GB
Video card (GPU) 32 MB of VRAM
DirectX 9.0c compatible
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.


Notes

  1. This version of StarForce DRM does not work on Windows 8.1, Windows 10, or Windows 11.[2][3] For supported versions of Windows the StarForce driver may need to be updated manually using SFUPDATE.
  2. 2.0 2.1 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).
  3. 3.0 3.1 File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data (use Wine regedit to access Windows registry paths). Games with Steam Cloud support may store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/13530/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (13530) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

References

  1. Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones comes to Mac - Macworld - last accessed on 2017-12-31
  2. Windows 8.1 support - StarForce Support
  3. Windows 10 support - StarForce Support
  4. Microsoft Games for Windows Marketplace - last accessed on 20 August 2022
  5. Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones Widescreen HD Test PC - YouTube - last accessed on 2017-03-02
  6. speedrun.com - last accessed on May 2023
  7. Verified by User:squiddingme on 2023-06-24
    Tested with XInput-compatible 8bitdo controller. Game displays only generic numbered button prompts. Strings for Xbox 360 controllers are referenced in POPDATA.BF and the game executable.
  8. Steam Community - last accessed on May 2023
  9. PC Gaming Surround Sound Round-up - last accessed on May 2023
  10. Middle Tower Climb - last accessed on 2023-04-20
  11. Verified by User:squiddingme on 2023-04-20
    60 and 59 FPS can sometimes work, but is unreliable.
  12. https://steamcommunity.com/app/13530/discussions/0/618459109264455158/#c4015478340395154992
  13. Steam Community - last accessed on May 2023
  14. Verified by User:squiddingme on 2023-04-12
    As with Warrior Within, this will work but display generic button prompts.
  15. Verified by User:squiddingme on 2023-04-12
  16. Verified by User:squiddingme on 2023-04-12
    xinput9_1_0.dll referenced in game executable, checked with hex editor and then tested in-game