Installing SourceMod and MetaMod on L4D2

Installing SourceMod and MetaMod on L4D2

SourceMod is the go-to plugin framework for Source engine servers. It enables admin management, custom commands, map voting, and hundreds of community plugins. MetaMod:Source is a prerequisite — it hooks into the Source engine so SourceMod can operate.

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Step 1 — Download Both Packages

Go to each site and select Left 4 Dead 2 from the game dropdown, then download the latest stable build:

• MetaMod:Source: metamodsource.net/downloads.php
• SourceMod: sourcemod.net/downloads.php

Download the Linux .tar.gz files.

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Step 2 — Install MetaMod

Extract and copy the addons/ directory into left4dead2/:

tar -xzf mmsource-*.tar.gz
cp -r addons/ /home/steam/l4d2-server/left4dead2/

MetaMod requires a metaserver.vdf or metamod.vdf in the addons/ folder. Verify it's present:

ls /home/steam/l4d2-server/left4dead2/addons/
# Should show: metamod/ metamod.vdf

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Step 3 — Install SourceMod

Extract and copy both addons/ and cfg/ into left4dead2/:

tar -xzf sourcemod-*.tar.gz
cp -r addons/ /home/steam/l4d2-server/left4dead2/
cp -r cfg/ /home/steam/l4d2-server/left4dead2/

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Step 4 — Verify Installation

Start the server and check the console output. You should see:

[SM] SourceMod has been loaded.
[SM] Plugin "admin-flatfile.smx" loaded successfully.

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Step 5 — Add Admin Users

Edit the admins file:

nano /home/steam/l4d2-server/left4dead2/addons/sourcemod/configs/admins_simple.ini

Add your Steam ID:

// "Name"    "SteamID"          "Flags"
"YourName"   "STEAM_1:0:12345678"  "99:z"

Common admin flags:

Flag	Permission
z	Root admin (everything)
c	Kick players
d	Ban players
e	Unban players
b	Generic admin commands

To find your Steam ID, use steamid.io or the status command in-game.

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Step 6 — Install SourceMod Plugins

Plugins are .smx files placed in:

left4dead2/addons/sourcemod/plugins/

Popular L4D2 plugins:

• l4d2_survivor_extras — Extra survivor slots
• adminmenu — In-game admin menu (included with SourceMod)
• mapchooser — Map voting at round end
• l4dinfectedbots — Control AI infected behavior

Plugins are loaded automatically on server restart. Reload without restart:

rcon sm plugins load myplugin

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Useful SourceMod RCON Commands

// Via in-game console (after rcon_password auth)
rcon sm_map c1m1_hotel        // Change map
rcon sm_kick "PlayerName"     // Kick player
rcon sm_ban "#userid" 60 "Reason"  // Ban for 60 minutes
rcon sm_admin                 // Open admin menu (if adminmenu plugin loaded)

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File Structure After Install

left4dead2/
├── addons/
│   ├── metamod/
│   ├── metamod.vdf
│   └── sourcemod/
│       ├── plugins/       ← .smx plugin files go here
│       ├── configs/       ← admins_simple.ini, core.cfg, etc.
│       └── logs/          ← SourceMod log files
└── cfg/
    └── sourcemod/         ← plugin config files