How to Install AMX Mod X 1.8.2 on a CS 1.6 Server

AMX Mod X 1.8.2 is from 2013 and it is still everywhere, because thousands of plugins were compiled against it and a lot of mod packs (Zombie Plague, old CoD Mod builds, half the Romanian and Turkish server scene) ship with it. It works. But be clear about the trade: 1.8.2 does not have client_print_color, its string natives are older, and a growing share of plugins on the forums simply will not compile against it. If you are building a new server, install AMX Mod X 1.9 instead. Install 1.8.2 when you are restoring an old server whose .amxx binaries you cannot recompile.

1. Prerequisites

Metamod must already be working. Run meta version in the server console; if it answers Unknown command: meta, stop and fix Metamod first (Metamod-r or Metamod-P).

2. Download the two packages

AMX Mod X ships as a Base package plus per-game addon packages. For CS 1.6 you need exactly two:

• Base — the core, the modules, the config files.
• Counter-Strike addon — the cstrike and csx modules, the CS-specific plugins and configs.

Take both for the same version (1.8.2) and the same platform. Mixing a 1.8.2 base with a 1.9 CS addon produces module load failures that make no sense until you notice the version mismatch.

3. Extract into cstrike/

Both archives are laid out as addons/amxmodx/..., so they extract straight over the mod directory:

cd /home/steam/hlds/cstrike
tar -xzf amxmodx-1.8.2-base-linux.tar.gz
tar -xzf amxmodx-1.8.2-cstrike-linux.tar.gz

Resulting layout:

cstrike/addons/amxmodx/
├── configs/     (amxx.cfg, plugins.ini, users.ini, modules.ini, maps.ini …)
├── data/        (lang files, translations)
├── dlls/        amxmodx_mm_i386.so   <-- the Metamod plugin
├── modules/     fun_amxx_i386.so, cstrike_amxx_i386.so, …
├── plugins/     *.amxx
└── scripting/   *.sma, amxxpc, include/

4. Register AMXX with Metamod

Add one line to cstrike/addons/metamod/plugins.ini:

linux addons/amxmodx/dlls/amxmodx_mm_i386.so

On Windows:

win32 addons\amxmodx\dlls\amxmodx_mm.dll

The path is relative to cstrike/. Getting this wrong is the number one cause of "meta list shows Metamod but not AMX Mod X".

5. Fix permissions

cd /home/steam/hlds/cstrike/addons/amxmodx
chmod -R u+rwX,go+rX .
chmod +x scripting/amxxpc scripting/compile.sh 2>/dev/null

If the HLDS user cannot read configs/, AMXX loads but every config is empty — no admins, no plugins.

6. Configure admins

Edit addons/amxmodx/configs/users.ini. The format is:

; <name|ip|steamid> <password> <access flags> <account flags>
"STEAM_0:1:123456" "" "abcdefghijklmnopqrstu" "ce"
"MyNick"           "mypassword" "abcdefghijklmnopqrstu" "a"

Account flags decide how AMXX identifies you: c = the entry is a SteamID, d = it is an IP, a = no password required, e = do not check password. ce — SteamID, no password — is the correct setup for a Steam server. Access flag z is a common shorthand for "user immunity/everything" in some plugin sets; the full flag list is in amxx.cfg's comments.

If admin does not work after this, the cause is almost always one of: wrong SteamID (check with status in the console), missing c flag, or the file was edited while the server was running without amx_reloadadmins. See users.ini ignored.

7. Restart and verify

meta list
amxx version
amxx plugins
amxx modules

meta list must show AMX Mod X as RUN. amxx version must print 1.8.2. amxx plugins lists every plugin with a status:

Currently loaded plugins:
       name                    version  author            file             status
 [  1] Admin Base              1.8.2    AMXX Dev Team     admin.amxx       running
 [  2] Admin Commands          1.8.2    AMXX Dev Team     admincmd.amxx    running
 [  3] Menus Front-End         1.8.2    AMXX Dev Team     menufront.amxx   running

In-game, type amxmodmenu in the console. If the admin menu opens, admin access works.

What you do not get on 1.8.2

• client_print_color() — coloured chat requires a manual SayText message. Plugins from 2015 onward often use the native and will not compile.
• Newer string/array natives, and a number of 1.9 API additions.
• Fixes for several known crashes in the 1.8.2 core that were only addressed in 1.9.

When you are ready, the upgrade path to 1.10 is well trodden and mostly painless if you keep your .sma sources.

Common errors

• Plugin failed to load: Invalid Plugin — an .amxx compiled for a newer AMXX. 1.8.2 cannot load a 1.10-compiled plugin. Recompile from source.
• Module failed to load — an architecture or version mismatch in modules/. See the module load fix.
• amxx: Unknown command — AMXX is not loaded. meta list will confirm; the fault is in plugins.ini.
• Admin menu does nothing — amxmodmenu exists but your flags are empty. Check users.ini and run amx_reloadadmins.

Verification checklist

1. meta list — AMX Mod X RUN.
2. amxx version — prints 1.8.2.
3. amxx plugins — everything running, nothing bad load or error.
4. amxmodmenu in-game opens the menu for your admin account.
5. addons/amxmodx/logs/error_*.log is empty after a full map.