Directory permission issues - MO2 won't launch

[rockerbacon]

Introduction

This is an open discussion on working around a range of long-standing issues caused by install location restrictions. The installer has always allowed users to openly select any install location for MO2, and this severely degrades user experience for those affected by the aforementioned restrictions.

Currently known

Here's a list of currently known restrictions we'd like to avoid. Please speak up if something was left out.

1. MO2's USVFS does not properly handle symbolic links -- #546
2. MO2's USVFS does not work cross-filesystem, aka game and MO2 must be in the same "drive" -- sparse reports here and there on this, no specific issue to link to
3. MO2 cannot be used with a portable instance in a subdirectory containing spaces -- #346
4. Flatpak only: Steam and Protontricks containers must be given explicit access to the install location -- #312
5. Steam Runtime Engine must have access to the install location -- #285

[rockerbacon]

My immediate thought is that enforcing a safe install location inside the game's library is enough to cover all but the Flatpak problem. This would be parametrized through an environment variable in case advanced users wish to pick a different location.

There is no real fix for the Flatpak issue because of Protontricks. The best we can do is check that the container has access to the game's library and fail with descriptive error if it doesn't.

[danaYatsuta]

Regarding 3: I think just having spaces in path is a problem.
I tried installing MO2 in two ways:

1. selected /home/yatsuta/Games/Morrowind/Mod Organizer 2 as MO2 location in install.sh, so it's not in the same directory as the game
2. created portable instance in MO2, left all paths at default
3. MO2 doesn't launch

Then with directory without spaces:

1. selected home/yatsuta/Games/Morrowind/MO2
2. created portable instance in MO2, left all paths at default
3. MO2 works as expected

[rockerbacon]

Regarding 3: I think just having spaces in path is a problem. I tried installing MO2 in two ways:

1. selected `/home/yatsuta/Games/Morrowind/Mod Organizer 2` as MO2 location in install.sh, so it's not in the same directory as the game

2. created portable instance in MO2, left all paths at default

3. MO2 doesn't launch

Then with directory without spaces:

1. selected `home/yatsuta/Games/Morrowind/MO2`

2. created portable instance in MO2, left all paths at default

3. MO2 works as expected

Thanks for the insight! I've updated the original comment.

[rockerbacon]

Deleting some comments due to them being off topic. This is not a random support forum, do not post here unless you have clear, concise and constructive information that directly relates to this issue.