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I'm trying to launch a game from a symbolic link located on my desktop, but every time I do the game installs all its files onto my desktop. And when I try relaunching the game after moving all the files to the game folder, the game tries reinstalling the files again.

Is there any way I can fix this? Or are there any alternatives to symbolic links that act more like windows shortcuts?

guest123456
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  • Which Linux distribution, and window manager do you use? – EightBitTony May 09 '16 at 09:49
  • @EightBitTony Mint 17.3 and Metacity – guest123456 May 09 '16 at 09:54
  • Making symbolic links track their target (which is impossible anyway) wouldn't help you: even if the link was updated when you move the file, that wouldn't affect the game's behavior. If the link breaks because you moved a file, why don't you just create the right link in the first place, i.e. move the files and then create a link? If the problem is that the game systematically adds stuff to your desktop, this is an unrelated issue. We might help you with it but you need to tell us what the game is and **exactly** how you installed it and how you run it. – Gilles 'SO- stop being evil' May 09 '16 at 20:55
  • @Gilles "If the problem is that the game systematically adds stuff to your desktop, this is an unrelated issue". That was the issue I was having. Every time I tried running the game launcher from the link on my desktop, the game would keep trying to reinstall the game files onto my desktop, even after I moved all the files to the correct game directory. – guest123456 May 10 '16 at 04:47

1 Answers1

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A symlink already behaves like a Windows shortcut, as it contains only a path to the target file.

It just looks like the symlink is targeting the file to install the game instead of the file to run the game.

dr_
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  • So there's no way to get around it? Because the launcher that runs the game also checks for updates/missing files to install before letting you log in. – guest123456 May 09 '16 at 10:03
  • Then there's something wrong with the updater. You should ask for support in a forum devoted to that particular game, or to the developers. – dr_ May 09 '16 at 10:05
  • Windows sometimes modifies shortcuts when you move their target, so it isn't true that a symlink behaves like a Windows shortcut. Not that the Windows behavior would help here. – Gilles 'SO- stop being evil' May 09 '16 at 20:53