How to Install Metamod-P on Your CS 1.6 Server
Metamod-P is the plugin loader that makes AMX Mod X possible. Here's how to install it correctly and verify it's working before you install anything on top of it.
What Metamod-P Is
Metamod-P sits between HLDS and the game DLL (cs.so). It intercepts game engine calls and lets plugins — most importantly AMX Mod X — hook into the game without modifying game files directly. If you want AMX Mod X, you need Metamod-P first. There's no way around it.
Download Metamod-P
Get the latest release from github.com/rehlds/metamod-p/releases. You want the Linux build — grab the archive that contains metamod_i386.so.
Create the Directory Structure
mkdir -p /home/gameserver/hlds/cstrike/addons/metamod/dlls
Install the Binary
Extract and copy metamod_i386.so into the directory you just created:
cp metamod_i386.so /home/gameserver/hlds/cstrike/addons/metamod/dlls/metamod_i386.so
Edit liblist.gam
This is the key step. liblist.gam is in cstrike/ and tells HLDS which game DLL to load. You need to redirect it through Metamod:
Open cstrike/liblist.gam and find the line:
gamedll_linux "dlls/cs.so"
Change it to:
gamedll_linux "addons/metamod/dlls/metamod_i386.so"
That's the entire hook. Metamod loads, then loads cs.so itself. The game behaves identically from the player's perspective.
Create plugins.ini
Metamod reads this file to know which plugins to load. Create it empty for now — AMX will add to it later:
touch /home/gameserver/hlds/cstrike/addons/metamod/plugins.ini
Restart and Verify
Restart the server, then in the server console run:
meta list
Expected output:
Currently loaded plugins:
description stat pend file vers src load unlod
[ 0] (none)
[ 0] plugins loaded, [ 0] running
No errors. No (failed) entries. That's a clean Metamod install.
Common Error: "Couldn't find game DLL"
This means the path in liblist.gam is wrong. Double-check:
- The path is relative to the
cstrike/directory - The filename exactly matches what's on disk (case-sensitive on Linux)
- You edited
gamedll_linux, notgamedll(Windows version)
Run ls -la /home/gameserver/hlds/cstrike/addons/metamod/dlls/ to confirm the file is actually there.
What's Next
With Metamod working, you're ready to install AMX Mod X on top of it.