Cannot Move Half Life 2 and Episode 1

Steam has introduced a feature to move game installs from one location to another. This is awesome, since I don't need to uninstall/reinstall when moving from my SSD to a larger HDD.

However, i cannot move Half Life 2 and Episode One. I was able to move Episode 2, but the option is not there for the others. Is there a reason for this, or am I missing another component somewhere?

steam half-life-2

Best Answer

Even when Steam added support for multiple game 'libraries', there always seemed to be a few games that do not support being located anywhere but the default directory.

However, it is always possible to move the files yourself manually, and create a link back to them from their original location. This way, Steam thinks that it's still in the same location, and your SSD has less clutter on it.

Shut down Steam (make sure it isn't still in your notification tray)
Cut the game's install directory from C:\Path\To\Steam\steamapps\common
Paste the game directory where you want (e.g. E:\Games\
Open a Command Prompt Window and navigate to where the folder was, i.e.
cd C:\Path\To\Steam\steamapps\common
Create a directory symbolic link with the same name as the original folder using the mklink command. The format is like so: mklink /D "<Folder Name>" "<Path To Moved Folder>"

eg: mklink /D "Half Life 2 Episode One" "E:\Games\Half Life 2 Episode One"
If you now look at the steamapps/common directory in Windows Explorer, you will see what looks like a shortcut icon. Double clicking it will take you to the folder located on the E: drive

Start Steam again and you will be able to play the game normally, as far as it is concerned the game hasn't moved.

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How do you move in Half-Life 2?

Series information. Half-Life 2: Episode One is the first of a planned trilogy of expansion packs/episodes for the 2004 first-person shooter game, Half-Life 2. The episode takes place immediately after the end of Half-Life 2, in the war-torn setting of City 17.

Is Half-Life 2 and Episode 1 the same?

Content will be 'richer' too. Half-Life 2: Episode 1 won't actually require Half-Life 2 to play, Valve's explained, and although the game will be "four to six hours" long, marketing director Doug Lombardi reckons it's "markedly richer" in terms of content quality.

Do you need Half Life Episode 1 and 2?

Half-Life 2 was followed by two episodic sequels: Episode One (2006) and Episode Two (2007). After canceling Episode Three and several further Half-Life projects, Valve released a prequel, Half-Life: Alyx, in 2020.

Half Life 2: Episode 1 - Part 14 - Mr. APC

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