Gotta agree. It's a very unnecessary problem in my opinion, and if the average user is given no clear warning about it (it's the default folder after all), then no technical explanation behind the issue is going to justify anything.

The Program Files folder is for installing programs into it, simple as that. It's not the user's fault that game developers still think we live in the age of DOS where there was only one user and everyone could write anything anywhere. If you had an electronic appliance that malfunctioned when plugged normally into the power socket, and instead needed some workaround setup, would you blame the user or the manufacturer?

intentions and opinions are irrelevant - if you boil it down, it's still and that's that.

I just saw that the Source Port update was announced on the GOG homepage, so I downloaded the game and tried to run it. Despite verifying, I keep getting a message saying 'Error - the parameter is incorrect" and then it lists a directory that does not exist so far as I can tell.

Has anyone else seen such a thing?

check the FAQ, if that won't help, post full system specs (and the full error message).

Thank you for the quick reply. Installing the Windows 7 Platform update fixed the problem.

Are you on the dev team? If you are stop being so defensive and fix the bug. If you aren't, stop speaking on the developers behalf. I'm not sure what you think posting stuff like this accomplishes. The game still needs to be fixed.

no official position, just a long time community member, but I do help out where I can (mostly SS2, but also Thief, Thief2, SS1). I never did claim to be speaking on anyone's behalf, I just pass around information that is available elsewhere (discord in this case). I was also not really defensive about anything, just stated that bugs do slip in no matter how hard you try to avoid that.

anyway, as mentioned earlier, the 64 char limit bug will be fixed in the upcoming update (with a couple of other things as well), but that doesn't change the fact that games should be kept out of program files (an unrelated issue, if you want).

Steam, Uplay, Origin, Battle.net, Epic Launcher, Bethesda Launcher... so all those companies don't know what they're doing? Even Galaxy defaults to Program Files... what you're saying sounds like it's based on personal preference most likely from a few bad scenarios with older games or something

yep, that's pretty much it (they are all doing it wrong). not saying problems happen often, but the value is non-zero. which is more than zero when being out of program files, therefore, if one wants to stay 100% safe, games shouldn't be placed under program files.

personal preference has nothing to do with it, it's simple mathematics, not that hard to understand.

K man

What's hard for me to understand is that why in the 15+ years I've been gaming on PC, this is the only game to ever not work from Program Files... so to me, the odds of something going wrong with installing it in Program Files are pretty much non-existent... which is why those highly unintelligent people at Blizzard don't know what they're doing

there are more (mostly old games that either require full access to their own files, or have a character limit on the path, that was very common in the pre-windows vista era), though not too many, most likely. still, 0.001% chance of something going wrong is still more than 0%, and that fact is not going away no matter how much argument.

the point is, if a reasonable human being is presented with two paths leading to the same goal, with one carrying no risk, and the other carrying some risk, and is allowed to choose freely, wouldn't the path with no risk be the only choice that makes sense?

I don't think anyone will argue with you on that... however, when the default option is Program Files for every single modern client these days and the client doesn't warn you "This Source Port Update doesn't work in Program Files" and you are selling the game to people who don't read any forums... you can understand the issue there, no?

Out of the 600+ games I have on GOG, this is the only one I've ever installed through Galaxy that didn't work because of where it is located

hence, it's safer to not put games into program files. because it may cause issues with old games, or games that have bugs.

took you 15+ years and 600+ games to find out, but now you know.

Now I know I won't change something that doesn't need changing because of one game that will get patched to fix it anyway ;)