Assassin's Creed II

Assassin's Creed II

Developers
	Ubisoft Montreal
macOS (OS X)	Ubisoft Ukraine
Publishers
	Ubisoft
Russia	Akella
Engines
	Anvil
Release dates
Windows	March 9, 2010
macOS (OS X)	October 1, 2010
Reception
Metacritic	86
IGDB	90
Taxonomy
Monetization	One-time game purchase
Modes	Singleplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	Third-person
Controls	Direct control
Genres	Action, Stealth
Art styles	Realistic
Themes	Europe, Historical, Renaissance
Series	Assassin's Creed

Assassin's Creed II is a singleplayer third-person action and stealth game in the Assassin's Creed series.

The game's online services shut down on October 1, 2022.

General information

Official manual

Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail
Amazon.com
Epic Games Store
Green Man Gaming
Humble Store
Microsoft Store		Included exclusively with Xbox Game Pass for PC.
Steam
Ubisoft Store		Standard edition included with Ubisoft+ Classics and Ubisoft+ Premium.
Amazon.co.uk (unavailable)
Games for Windows Marketplace (unavailable)
Mac App Store (unavailable)
EA app (unavailable)		No longer sold since June 13, 2022.
GamersGate (unavailable)

All Windows versions require Ubisoft Connect DRM.

Retail version comes with an InstallShield installer.

Originally launched with an always online DRM requirement that was removed a year later in 2011.

All releases of PC version come with Battle of Forlì and Bonfire of the Vanities DLC included.

Essential improvements

Patches

Version 1.01 patch can be downloaded here.

Among other fixes, it adds ATI Eyefinity support and provides some performance enhancements for multi-core processors.

EaglePatchAC2

Latest version can be downloaded here.

Improved shadow map size from 1024 to 4096.

Draw distance maxed out for buildings, pedestrians and flags.

Enabled Uplay bonuses - Auditore Crypt, Altair robes, extra throwing knives and bonus dye.

Added support for all XInput controllers.

Added detection for hotplugged controllers.

Gamepad and mouse/keyboard controls work simultaneously.

Added the INI setting for enabling DualShock 3 style controls.

Added the INI setting to skip intro videos.

Options configurable through the INI file.

Removed support for DirectInput controllers. Use of a DirectInput to XInput translator such as XOutput is recommended if using a DirectInput-only controller.

When going back to Florence from Monteriggioni for the first time, the game crashes. To fix this, open EaglePatchAC2.ini, locate the line ImproveDrawDistance. Change the value from 1 to 0 and save the file.

The option which permits maxing out the draw distance is known to cause some issues. To fix this, open EaglePatchAC2.ini, locate the line ImproveDrawDistance. Change the value from 1 to 0 and save the file.

Final Sequence music doesn't play when you have high notoriety

1. Download this fix.
2. Replace DataPC_Roma.forge file in the game root folder where AssassinsCreedIIGame.exe is located.

Game data

In-game general settings.

In-game HUD settings.

Configuration file location

System	Location
Windows	%APPDATA%\Ubisoft\Assassin's Creed 2\Assassin2.ini
macOS (OS X)
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/33230/pfx/

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	<Ubisoft-Connect-folder>\savegames\<user-id>\4\
macOS (OS X)
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/33230/pfx/

Save games before the new patch are in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Ubisoft Game Launcher\savegame_storage.

The save folder was relocated with the release of the November 23, 2012 patch.

You can turn cloud-sync off in the options, but you must allow Uplay to go online to allow Assassin's Creed II to save games to this location on your local hard drive.

If you change the XML config file to allow offline play or select the Uplay launcher to stay offline in the options, your progress and games will not be saved.

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
Epic Games Launcher		Handled through the cloud sync of Ubisoft Connect.
EA app		Handled through the cloud sync of Ubisoft Connect.
Steam Cloud		Handled through the cloud sync of Ubisoft Connect.
Ubisoft Connect
Xbox Cloud

Video

In-game video settings.

Graphics feature	State	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution			Higher vertical aspect ratios (e.g. 16:10, 4:3, 5:4) are letterboxed.
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen			Cutscenes and some menus are pillarboxed. For 21:9 and 16:10 resolutions, use this fix.
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)		Use AC2 Customizable Ground Camera.
Windowed		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Borderless fullscreen windowed		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anti-aliasing (AA)		Up to 8x MSAA.
Vertical sync (Vsync)		Double Buffering
60 FPS		The game has a poorly implemented 59 FPS cap which can jump between 57 to 63 FPS. However, it allows a high refresh rate.
120+ FPS
High dynamic range display (HDR)		See the glossary page for potential alternatives.
Color blind mode		See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Input

In-game control settings.

In-game key map settings.

In-game button map settings.

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse acceleration		Aggressive mouse acceleration. Can't be disabled.
Mouse input in menus
Keyboard and mouse prompts
Mouse Y-axis inversion		X and Y inversion can be set independently for first-person, third-person, or both.
Controller
Controller support
Full controller support
Controller remapping		For non-XInput devices only.
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion		X and Y inversion can be set independently for first-person, third-person, or both.

Controller types

XInput-compatible controllers
Xbox button prompts		Use Xbox Controller Prompts to restore button prompts from the Xbox 360 version.
Impulse Trigger support

DirectInput-compatible controllers

Nintendo controllers

Other controller(s)
Additional button prompts

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

Audio

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		SFX volume, voice volume and music volume. Inaccessible from the title menu, only available from the in-game menu.
Surround sound		5.0
Subtitles		Some in-game dialogue is spoken in Italian. Translations are displayed in the subtitles.
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
Arabic				Fan translation available here.
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Czech				Retail only translation available here.
Danish
Dutch
French
German
Indonesian				Fan translation by IGTC Team is available here.
Italian
Korean
Norwegian
Polish				Use this fix if the game won't run in Polish. Polish lector [1]
Portuguese
Brazilian Portuguese				Translation port from the Ezio Collection available here.
Russian				Retail only translation available here.
Spanish
Swedish
Turkish				Fan translation available here.
Ukrainian				Fan translation available here

VR support

3D modes	State	GG3D	Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision			Use Helix Mod: Assassin's Creed 2 for better support.
TriDef 3D
iZ3D
vorpX		G3D, DirectVR Officially supported game, see official vorpx game list.

Issues unresolved

No background music

The background music often does not play after the game starts.

Keep restarting the game until the music starts playing

Issues fixed

!!!Game.Startup.AwaitingFirstOsiConnection!!! error when starting story mode

This has been fixed by Ubisoft by updating their launcher.

Ubisoft Connect runs InstallShield installer from the disc when trying to update

When retail version is installed and the installation disc is present, the Ubisoft Connect client will run the InstallShield installer from the installation disc when clicked on "Install" button after the game finishes updating

Unmount the ISO or eject the disc
Eject the disc or unmount the ISO Click on update button in Ubisoft Connect client Now the game should update successfully

How to stop the stuttering and low FPS

This was tested using the Ubisoft Connect version of Assasin's Creed II
Right Click Assassin's Creed II. Go to Properties. Go to General. Go down to LAUNCH OPTIONS. Type in or copy: -USEALLAVAILABLECORES -high. Click OK. Assassin's Creed II should be running at solid 60 FPS now.

Stuttering and/or screen tearing with Vsync on or off

Ingame FPS cap workaround and CPU load fix

An uneven 59 FPS cap and excessive CPU load when using Vsync can cause this issue. To fix the uneven cap, set the refresh rate to 50Hz in the game instead (use CRU in case no such option is available in game) and use the Vsync as below: For Nvidia cards, use Nvidia's Adaptive Vsync in the Nvidia Control Panel. This minimizes Vsync drops to 25 FPS. For newer AMD cards, turn on Radeon Chill as a FPS limiter, set it to 50/50 (min/max) and turn on the "Enhanced sync" feature (don't forget to turn Vsync off in-game for AMD's enhanced sync to work). Another solution is to use the regular in-game Vsync. Fix below solves the same issue with Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Assassin's Creed: Revelations and Assassin's Creed III. When using Vsync, excessive single core use is present (typically 99%) with any Quad Core CPU and above. Removing the first core of your CPU availability manually using the Task Manager affinity or using the utility Process Lasso to automatically remove CPU 0 access from the AC2 executable solves this. Making affinity changes by setting CPU affinity in the task manager only works until you exit the game. To make the changes permanent, do this instead: Make a shortcut for launching the game in the start menu or on desktop. In the target field of the shortcut, set the following (just put the default contents in double quotes and prepend cmd.exe /C ...): For a 4/4 (core/thread) CPU: cmd.exe /C start "" /affinity e "<path-to-game>\AssassinsCreedIIGame.exe". For a 4/8 and 8/8 (core/thread) CPU: cmd.exe /C start "" /affinity fe "<path-to-game>\AssassinsCreedIIGame.exe". For a 6/6 (core/thread) CPU: cmd.exe /C start "" /affinity 3e "<path-to-game>\AssassinsCreedIIGame.exe". For a 6/12 (core/thread) CPU: cmd.exe /C start "" /affinity ffe "<path-to-game>\AssassinsCreedIIGame.exe". For a 8/16 (core/thread) CPU and higher: cmd.exe /C start "" /affinity fffe "<path-to-game>\AssassinsCreedIIGame.exe". Verify correct affinity by launching the game and checking affinity in task manager (see the beginning of the paragraph). For launching the game through Steam, it should look like this: For example, a 8/16 (core/thread) CPU and higher, it should be: C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /C start "" /affinity FFFE "<path-to-game>\AssassinsCreedIIGame.exe" %command%.

Lights shine through walls and other objects

Nvidia Control Panel Fix[citation needed]
This issue is caused by the Nvidia Control Panel forcing graphical settings on. Open Nvidia Control Panel. Find the "Adjust image settings with preview" setting. Select the "Let the 3D application decide" option.

Game freezes when given the hidden blade

Press "2" to select the weapon and continue the cutscene[citation needed]
Default key mappings do not work as intended.

"A Ubisoft service is unavailable at the moment" error

Download and install the Uplay client[citation needed]

Game hangs and screen flashes repeatedly on launch

Set monitor resolution to 1280x720 on launch and change resolution in-game[citation needed]

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	9.0c
OpenGL	2	OS X only.

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

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Physics	Havok Physics
Audio	Wwise
Cutscenes	Bink Video	1.9n

Mods

Assassin's Creed 2 Overhaul

Updates most of the textures and particle effects in-game with a mix of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood textures and custom textures.

Neural 1080p Enhanced Cutscenes

Improves the quality of the heavily compressed FMVs.

E3 Outfit Mod

Restores Ezio's outfit from the cover art and initial E3 Gameplay Trailer.

Horse Riding In Cities

Allows horses to be able to traverse through the city by removing the barrier at the city gates.

Definitive AC2 Parkour Mod

Enhances parkour mechanics, granting players extensive control and more comprehensive movement options.

AC2's True Colors

Disables the tone-mapping and de-saturation shaders entirely, providing natural and unaltered colors.

Also tweaks depth of field, so that it only blurs distant objects.

Some specific events, such as completing a mission or picking up a feather will re-enable the color filter for a couple of seconds.

In-game gamma setting might need some adjustments to provide less washed out image.

System requirements

Windows

macOS (OS X)

Windows
	Minimum		Recommended
Operating system (OS)	XP		Vista, 7
Processor (CPU)	AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 1.8 GHz		AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ 3.1 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 2.6 GHz
System memory (RAM)	1.5 GB		2 GB
Storage drive (HDD/SSD)	8 GB
Video card (GPU)	ATI Radeon X1950 ATI Radeon HD 2000/3000/4000/5000 series Nvidia GeForce 7/8/9/100/200 series 256 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0c compatible Shader model 3.0 support		ATI Radeon HD 4700 Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT 512 MB of VRAM
Sound (audio device)	DirectX 9.0 compatible		5.1 sound card
Other			Xbox 360 Controller

macOS (OS X)
	Minimum		Recommended
Operating system (OS)	10.5		10.6
Processor (CPU)	Intel Core 2 Duo 3.06 GHz		Intel Core i5 2.66 GHz
System memory (RAM)	3 GB		4 GB
Storage drive (HDD/SSD)	9 GB
Video card (GPU)	256 MB of VRAM Shader model 3.0 support		AMD Radeon HD 4850 Nvidia GeForce GT120 512 MB of VRAM

Does not support Lion X (OS 10.7). Should work on any versions 10.8 and above.