I just updated to FTL v1.03.1 (even though the GOG installer says "setup_ftl_2.0.0.7.exe") but for some reason every time I try to launch the game I have to accept a UAC (User Account Control) dialog. No other GOG game has done this to me before on Windows 7. Is there a way to fix this problem so UAC won't show a dialog every time the game is played? I tried a full uninstall and reinstall and the problem still occurs.

The problem has been fixed with the latest GOG patch release. Thanks!

I am using the newest GOG patch, but still getting the UAC prompt. Can this be fixed?

Odd, you might want to try to remove and re-install the game.

1. Make a backup of your profile, just for safety. It's in \My Documents\My Games\FasterThanLight\.
2. Uninstall FTL
3. Download the newest version from GOG and don't use any previously downloaded installer
4. Reinstall it

Some users prefer to deactivate UAC completly (like GOG support suggests):

On Windows Vista, go to Start -> Control Panel -> User Accounts and Family Safety -> User Accounts, click "Turn User Account Control on or off", uncheck the option called "Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect my computer" and click OK.

On Windows 7, go to Start -> Control Panel -> User Accounts and Family Safety -> User Accounts, click "Change User Account Control settings", move the slider to the lowest position ("Never notify") and click OK.

EDIT: Another idea is, that you could have installed the game in a custom location. Since this has to be done with administrator rights, it could be, that the created folders only contain read/write rights for admins.
Open Explorer and add read/write rights to the game folder and its sub-folders for your user account .

I'm having the same issue. I've installed it fresh from set_ftl_2.0.0.9.exe then applied the patch_faster_than_light_2.0.1.10.exe. It makes no difference if I let it install in the default location or if give it a custom location.

The executable itself (FTLGame.exe) is marked as requiring administrator, so I doubt there's anything we as users can do about it. The developers need to fix this. There's absolutely no reason a game should need admin (other than the installer obviously).

Or, you know, you can go to the file properties and unmark it.
It does not require to be run as administrator per se, though GOG may tick certain compatibility options to avoid as many problems as possible. Actually, plenty of GOG games act like this, I do not know why this particular example bothers you so much, but if you want, you can launch FTL without UAC prompting you. Deactivating UAC is rarely a good idea, unless you know what you are doing. I've never seen GOG support suggest it as a permanent measure.

Well, I agree, you should know what you're doing when disabling UAC. Some users prefer to do so, but it's not for everybody.

Anyway, GOG support is specific about this:

"It is generally advisable to disable UAC altogether, as it is known to cause problems in some software, especially games, both old and new."
Source: FTL GOG-support

So it will still run properly if I untick "run as administrator"? I have to wonder why it was ticked by default then?

As to why it bothers me... it's a matter of security. Programs that don't have a real need for admin shouldn't get it. UAC was created for a reason... to make it more difficult for malware (as well as just plain buggy or poorly written software) to cause damage to the system.

Disabling UAC is usually a bad idea. Given that, and the fact that a game shouldn't need admin at all, I'm surprised GOG support is suggesting disabling UAC.