Reserved Slots for VIPs and Admins

A popular CS 1.6 server that is always full has a problem: your admins and paying VIPs cannot get in either. Reserved slots fix that — they hold back a few slots that only privileged players can occupy, so a full server still has room for the people who keep it running. AMX Mod X ships this in adminslots.amxx; here is how to set it up and hide the slots cleanly.

1. How reserved slots actually work

Your server has a fixed maxplayers set at startup (e.g. +maxplayers 20). adminslots.amxx carves out the last N of those for players who hold the reservation flag. When a reserved player connects to an otherwise-full server, the plugin either lets them into a held slot or kicks a non-reserved player to make room, depending on configuration. Non-reserved players see the server as full once the public slots are taken.

2. Confirm the plugin is loaded

In addons/amxmodx/configs/plugins.ini:

adminslots.amxx

It ships enabled in a stock AMXX install. Confirm with amxx plugins in the console — it should read running. If not, resolve the load per plugins.ini load order.

3. Set the reservation cvars

Put these in amxx.cfg or server.cfg:

amx_reservation 2     // how many of maxplayers are reserved
amx_hideslots 1       // 1 = hide reserved slots (server shows full)

With maxplayers 20 and amx_reservation 2, the public sees an 18-slot server; the last two are held for reserved players. This is the arrangement most admins want.

4. Understand amx_hideslots

The amx_hideslots cvar decides whether the reserved slots are visible to the public:

• 0 — the slots are visible. The server browser shows 20/20 when full including reserved slots, and a reserved player joining a full server bumps a non-reserved one.
• 1 — the slots are hidden by lowering the advertised max (via sv_visiblemaxplayers). The public sees 18/18 as "full," so nobody tries for the reserved slots and no kicking is needed — the two slots simply sit invisible until a VIP takes one.

Hiding (1) is the cleaner behavior: nobody gets kicked, and VIPs quietly always fit. Verify with the sv_visiblemaxplayers cvar, which the plugin sets on your behalf when hiding is on.

5. Grant the reservation flag

Reserved access is the b flag in addons/amxmodx/configs/users.ini. Any admin who already has a flag string just needs b included; a VIP who is not otherwise an admin gets only b:

; VIP — reserved slot only, no admin powers
"STEAM_0:1:2001" "" "b" "ce"

; Admin who should also skip the queue
"STEAM_0:1:2002" "" "abcdefiju" "ce"

Account flag c marks the entry as a SteamID and e as name-only auth — the same format used throughout the admin flags guide. Give VIPs only b; there is no reason a paying player needs kick or ban rights. After editing, reload:

amx_reloadadmins

For a full VIP feature set (skins, extra money, a shop) beyond just a slot, layer a CSB VIP Core plugin on top; reserved slots are just the entry ticket.

Troubleshooting

• VIPs still cannot join a full server — amx_reservation is 0, or the player's users.ini entry lacks the b flag, or admins were not reloaded. Check all three.
• Server shows the wrong player count — with amx_hideslots 1 the advertised max drops by the reservation count; that is expected. Confirm sv_visiblemaxplayers.
• Non-reserved players get kicked — amx_hideslots 0 lets reserved players bump others. Set it to 1 to hide the slots instead.
• Reservation ignored entirely — adminslots.amxx is not running, or an entry authenticates by name only and the name does not match. Prefer SteamID auth.
• Everyone counts as reserved — the b flag leaked in via amx_default_access in amxx.cfg; it must be empty.

Verification

A practical sizing note: reserve only what you actually need. On a 20-slot server, two reserved slots is plenty for a small admin team; reserving five would advertise the server as 15 slots and cost you real population for VIPs who rarely all show up at once. Match the reservation count to how many privileged players are typically online together, not to your total admin roster.

Fill the public slots with bots or test clients until the browser shows the server full, then connect from a client whose SteamID has the b flag — it should get in when a non-reserved client cannot. Read the advertised max back:

sv_visiblemaxplayers   // = maxplayers minus amx_reservation when hiding

Confirm the number matches maxplayers minus your reservation. When a flagged client joins a "full" server and an unflagged one is refused, reserved slots are working.