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Prince of Persia: Warrior Within

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within cover
Developers
Ubisoft Montreal
Publishers
Ubisoft
Retail re-release Sold Out Software
Engines
Jade
Release dates
Windows December 2, 2004
Reception
Metacritic 83
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, Hack and slash, Platform
Art styles Realistic
Themes Fantasy, Middle East
Series Prince of Persia
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within on HowLongToBeat
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within on IGDB
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within guide on StrategyWiki
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within on MobyGames
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within 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

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within is a singleplayer third-person and bird's-eye view action, adventure, hack and slash 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
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
The "Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Trilogy" re-release has a simple disc check.
Russian copies use StarForce 3 DRM[Note 1].
All other releases use SafeDisc v4 DRM[Note 2].
Windows
Epic Games Store
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Windows
GamersGate
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Windows
GOG.com
DRM-free
Windows
Green Man Gaming
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Windows
Humble Store
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Windows
Steam
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Ubisoft Store
Icon overlay.png
Included with Ubisoft+
Windows
Games for Windows Marketplace (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
[7]
Windows
SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows Vista and later (see above for affected versions).
StarForce DRM for this game does not work on modern versions of Windows (see above for affected versions).
There are two demos available: version 1 and version 2.

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 problems with camera and mouse input, adds proper 16:9 support, 100 FPS cap to help with physics and de-sync problems in cutscenes.
Odd 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>.
  3. Edit pop2.ini to add your resolution or change FOV if you want.
  4. Add this command: WINEDLLOVERRIDES="dinput8.dll=n,b" %command% to launch options in Steam or a DLL override for dinput8.dll if using Lutris/Bottles/WINE on linux.

Notes

For controller users, copy everything except for the replacement executable.

Skip intro videos

Delete or rename video files[citation needed]
  1. Go to <path-to-game>\Video.
  2. Delete or rename LOGORP.BIK, UBIMTL.BIK and UBISOFT.BIK.

Skip loading screens

Delete or rename video files[citation needed]
  1. Go to <path-to-game>\Video.
  2. Delete or rename GO_BOSS.bik, GO_CLAW.bik, GO_GEN.bik, GO_SLASH.bik, GO_TRAP.bik, LOADIN0.BIK, LOADLOP0.BIK and LOADOUT0.BIK.

Notes

For example: "0" stands for the English version, while "5" stands for Dutch.
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 3]
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/13500/pfx/[Note 4]

Save game data location

System Location
Windows <path-to-game>\GameProfiles\POPWWPROFILES[Note 3]
%PROGRAMDATA%\POPWWPROFILES\[Note 3]
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/13500/pfx/[Note 4]

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
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)
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
High-fidelity upscaling
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
60 FPS and 120+ FPS
Playing at 60 FPS desyncs cutscenes lipsync and audio.
See Cutscenes are de-synchronised.
Cutscenes and parkour might behave unexpectedly if the frame rate is above 60 FPS.
See Falling off Ropes during Wallruns in certain sections of the game.
High dynamic range display (HDR)
See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Widescreen resolution

Widescreen fix (Hor+)[8]
  1. Download Widescreen fix by nemesis 2000 from Here or from PCGW Mirror
  2. Extract pop2.7z files to <path-to-game> (password: pop2).
  3. If you have the GOG.com version of the game, you will need to run upx.bat once.
  4. Edit pop2.ini with a text editor and set your desired resolution and FOV multiplier.

Notes

Supported exe size: 5 533 696 bytes.
When using any other language than English, HUD_glitch_fix must be disabled in INI file.

Windowed

Use DxWnd[9]
  1. Download and run DxWnd as administrator.
  2. Click on Edit, then Add.
  3. Set name to Prince of Persia - Warrior Within.
  4. Set path to <path-to-game>\pop2.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 OK, then File and Save.
  10. Run the game directly from DxWnd.

Notes

Make sure that PrinceOfPersia.exe and pop2.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 control settings
In-game control settings

Button prompts

Works for the entire trilogy.
Instructions[10]
  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 what you want.

Notes

Make sure you don't increase or decrease the file size as it will make the game crash.
Xbox 360 and DualShock 4 replacement files can be used (only for 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.[11]
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
EAX support
EAX Unified (compatible with EAX 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0).
Reverb is not audible, requires boosting with DSOAL.
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
Hungarian
Fan translation, download.
Italian
Retail, steam and Ubisoft Connect only.
Patch for the GOG release here.
Japanese
Retail only
Polish
Retail version only. Patch for digital release here.
Russian
Retail and GOG only. Patch for other digital release here.
Spanish
Simplified Chinese
Retail only

VR support

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

Issues unresolved

Muted dialogue with Kaileena in the hourglass room

Voices become inaudible during dialogue with Kaileena; this will force players to enable subtitles in the game options. There is no fix so far.

Issues fixed

FMVs played without audio

Use WW Audio Fix
  1. Download the fix here.
  2. Extract its contents to the game directory and overwrite files when prompted.

Launcher not working

Registry edit method #1
  1. Download this and open with text according to your operating system.
  2. Change Product_Path and Profiles_Path with your own game location.
  3. Save the REG file and double-click on it.
  4. Finally, run the game.
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 Warrior Within\1.00.999.
    • For x64, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Ubisoft\Prince of Persia Warrior Within\1.00.999.
  3. Change Product_Path and Profiles_Path with your own game location.
  4. Finally, run the game.
Run pop2.exe from the game directory while the launcher is open

Notes

The launcher must be running for pop2.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: pop2launcherskip.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 Widescreen Launcher v2

Non-Steam:

  1. Download this and extract its contents to <path-to-game>.
  2. Run _Prince Of Persia Warrior Within.exe as administrator.

Steam (Windows):

  1. Download this and extract all files except POP2.EXE to <path-to-game>.
  2. Rename the following files:
    • PrinceOfPersia.exe to PrinceOfPersiaSteam.exe.
    • _Prince Of Persia Warrior Within.exe to PrinceOfPersia.exe.
    • _Prince Of Persia Warrior Within.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.

Steam (Linux):

  • Same procedure for Windows. If using the Unofficial Patch, add the following command in the launch options: WINEDLLOVERRIDES="dinput8.dll=n,b" %command%

Notes

It is recommended to be used in combination with the Unofficial Patch.
If combined with the Unofficial Patch, extract only _Prince Of Persia Warrior Within.exe and _Prince Of Persia Warrior Within.ini from the 7z file.
This fix automatically applies the widescreen fix.
There is a bug that restarts the game after exiting the menu.

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.

The game fails to start

Error: "The game cannot be launched. The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect."
Run PrinceOfPersia.exe as administrator

Cutscenes are de-synchronised

Running the game at 60 FPS or above causes cutscenes to speed up while audio lags behind.
Cap the frame rate below 60 FPS[12]
  1. Nvidia users can use Nvidia Control Panel or Nvidia Inspector to cap the frame rate to 59 or 58 FPS in the game specific profile.
  2. AMD users can use AMD Chill or Framerate Target Control option to do the same.

Notes

RTSS frame rate limiter does not seem to work.

Falling off Ropes during Wallruns in certain sections of the game

This usually happens in the Garden level and to users of High Framerate and Variable Sync Displays that turn off V-Sync.
Limit the frame rate to 60 FPS[citation needed]
Enable V-Sync and set the refresh rate to 60Hz

Crashes during cutscene after the first boss fight

In the middle of the cutscene, the game crashes to desktop.
Enable compatibility mode in the properties of PrinceOfPersia.exe, and set it to Windows XP (Service Pack 2).[13]

Unable to use Sand Powers besides Rewind/Recall when playing with a Controller

This is a limitation of XInput Controllers when playing older DirectInput games. LT and RT are bound to the Z-Axis and do not register when held simultaneously.
If the controller supports multiple modes, switch from XInput to DirectInput and rebind buttons in the game options.[14]
Use bumpers instead
Use Steam Input to map the Left trigger to the R key on keyboard

Notes

Only works if the R key is still set to rewind time on the keyboard.
Search for community layout "ttt xbox style" which is pre-assembled to fix the issue.
Use XInput Plus[15]
  1. Download and run XInput Plus.
  2. Set Target Program to <path-to-game>\pop2.exe.
  3. Go to the DirectInput tab and check Enable DirectInput Output.
  4. In the same tab, set LT/RT to Button12/13.
  5. Click Apply and a DLL file will be installed to the game directory.
  6. Run the game and rebind triggers in the options.

Notes

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.

Controller not working

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

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 9.0b
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows

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 ww_extract_and_convert_all.bat.
  3. As soon as it's finished, check the newly created !audio folder.

Notes

For more information, you can check the README.txt file inside the archive.

Mods

Upscaled Videos and Artwork

Upscales videos and artworks to 1080p.

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 98 SE
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) Nvidia GeForce 3
ATI Radeon 7500
Intel 915G
DirectX 9.0c compatible


Notes

  1. This version of StarForce DRM does not work on Windows Vista or later.[1][2][3][4] For supported versions of Windows the StarForce driver may need to be updated manually using SFUPDATE.
  2. SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows 10[5] or Windows 11 and is disabled by default on Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 when the KB3086255 update is installed.[6]
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 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).
  4. 4.0 4.1 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>/13500/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (13500) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

References

  1. Windows Vista support - StarForce Support
  2. Windows 7 support - StarForce Support
  3. Windows 8.1 support - StarForce Support
  4. Windows 10 support - StarForce Support
  5. Not Loading in Windows 10; this will break thousands of - Microsoft Community - last accessed on 2017-01-16
  6. Microsoft - MS15-097: Description of the security update for the graphics component in Windows: September 8, 2015 - last accessed on 2018-02-16
  7. Games for Windows 3.5.67.0 - last accessed on 19 August 2022
  8. Prince of Persia: Warrior Within Widescreen HD Test №3 PC - YouTube - last accessed on 2017-03-02
  9. speedrun.com - last accessed on May 2023
  10. Steam Community - last accessed on May 2023
  11. PC Gaming Surround Sound Round-up - last accessed on May 2023
  12. Verified by User:Sidspyker on 2020-09-22
  13. Verified by User:Reonu on June 12, 2022
  14. Verified by User:Sidspyker on 2020-09-22
    I happen to have a multiple modes controller, works as it should with no further tweaking necessary
  15. Verified by User:Sidspyker on 2020-09-22