diff --git a/src/constants.a b/src/constants.a
index d43337595..1d6aa0579 100644
--- a/src/constants.a
+++ b/src/constants.a
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 ; D000..E611 - persistent data structures (per-game cheat categories,
 ;              gGlobalPrefsStore, gGamesListStore)
 ; ...unused...
-; EC41..FFF9 - main program code
+; EC5F..FFF9 - main program code
 ; FFFA..FFFF - NMI, reset, IRQ vectors
 ;
 ; LC RAM BANK 2
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ BestMatchIndex = $FD      ; byte
 ;              $FF        ; used by ParseGamesList
 
 ; main memory
-gPathname    = $1F00      ; used by SetPath/AddToPath
+gPathname    = $BFD0      ; used by SetPath/AddToPath
 gKeyLen      = $1F00      ; used by ParseGamesList
 gKey         = $1F01
 UILine1      = $1FB0
diff --git a/src/glue.launch.a b/src/glue.launch.a
index d0c801ae9..28ef35de2 100644
--- a/src/glue.launch.a
+++ b/src/glue.launch.a
@@ -105,35 +105,47 @@ PlayGame
 @pfile   !word $FDFD
          !word $0106
 
-         ldx   #1                    ; construct path to game's startup file
-         sec                         ; which is always /X/game/game
-         !byte $2c
---       pha
-         clc
-         php
-         ldy   #0
-         lda   (SAVE), y
-         tay
-         iny
-         sty   MAX
-         ldy   #0
-         lda   #'X'
-         sta   ProDOS_prefix+1
-         lda   #'/'
--        inx
-         sta   ProDOS_prefix, x
-         iny
-         lda   (SAVE), y
-         cpy   MAX
-         bne   -
-         txa
-         plp
-         bcs   --
-         stx   ProDOS_prefix
+         ; we start by placing the subdirectory name at gPathname+kGameDirectoryLen
+         ; to leave room for the GameDirectory name as the parent
 
+         lda   #kGameDirectoryLen
+         sta   gPathname
+         +LDAY SAVE
+         jsr   AddToPath
+
+         ; then we save the length of the resulting string without the count byte
+
+         ldx   gPathname
+         dex
+         txa
+         pha
+
+         ; attach the separator
+
+         inc   gPathname
+         lda   #'/'
+         sta   gPathname+1,x
+
+         ; then attach the game name
+
+         +LDAY SAVE
+         jsr   AddToPath
+
+         ; don't look while I do this
+         ; we "place" a string at gPathname+kGameDirectoryLen
+         ; whose length is the subdirectory name and game name
+         ; then we load it
+         ; the load sets the path to the GameDirectory
+         ; and then finds the subdirectory name and game name right after it
+         ; and attaches it to the path by overwriting the count byte
+
+         sec
+         lda   gPathname
+         sbc   #kGameDirectoryLen
+         sta   gPathname+kGameDirectoryLen
          jsr   LoadFile              ; load the game startup file
-         !word kRootDirectory
-         !word ProDOS_prefix
+         !word kGameDirectory
+         !word gPathname+kGameDirectoryLen
          !word 0                     ; use file's default address
 
          pla
diff --git a/src/prodos.impl.a b/src/prodos.impl.a
index 7d44875aa..41638328c 100644
--- a/src/prodos.impl.a
+++ b/src/prodos.impl.a
@@ -524,7 +524,7 @@ ProDOS_fatal ;only for debugging, will be removed
 ;;*=$bf58
 ;;      !fill $18 ;filled by init instead
 
-ProDOS_prefix=$bfd0
+ProDOS_prefix=gPathname
 ;       !fill $2e
 }
 end_promote
diff --git a/src/prodos.path.a b/src/prodos.path.a
index 805f3f251..090134b14 100644
--- a/src/prodos.path.a
+++ b/src/prodos.path.a
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ kDemoDirectory
 kGameDirectory
          !byte 2
          !raw  "X/"
+kGameDirectoryLen = 3 ; we need this elsewhere
 
 kFXDirectory
          !byte 3
@@ -144,7 +145,3 @@ AddToPath
          stx   gPathname
 @done
          rts
-
-;!if >kTitleFile != >kCoverFile {
-;  !error ">kTitleFile != >kCoverFile, uncomment LoadTitleOffscreen block in ui.offscreen and disable this check"
-;}
diff --git a/src/ui.animation.a b/src/ui.animation.a
index d9f35c314..c065ae174 100644
--- a/src/ui.animation.a
+++ b/src/ui.animation.a
@@ -42,13 +42,6 @@ MaybeAnimateTitle
 +        !word $FDFD
          !word 0
 
-         ldy   kAnimatedTitleDirectory
-         sty   ProDOS_prefix         ; temporarily set 'root' directory to
--        lda   kAnimatedTitleDirectory,y;/title.animated/ so animation file
-         sta   ProDOS_prefix, y      ; can load other files in the same subdirectory
-         dey
-         bne   -
-
          ldx   #5                    ; copy prelaunch code
 -        lda   @titleAnimPrelaunch,x
          sta   $106,x
diff --git a/src/ui.attract.mode.a b/src/ui.attract.mode.a
index 6ad687742..61c8e7975 100644
--- a/src/ui.attract.mode.a
+++ b/src/ui.attract.mode.a
@@ -150,13 +150,6 @@ RunAttractModule
          !word kStandardPrelaunch
          !word $0106
 
-         ldy   kDemoDirectory
-         sty   ProDOS_prefix         ; temporarily set 'root' directory to
--        lda   kDemoDirectory, y     ; /demos/ directory so demos can can load
-         sta   ProDOS_prefix, y      ; other resources in the same directory
-         dey
-         bne   -
-
          jsr   LoadFile              ; load self-running demo into its default address (varies)
          !word kDemoDirectory
 @key     !word $FDFD