How to Install Resources and Gamemodes on Your Multi Theft Auto Server

Everything on a Multi Theft Auto server is a resource. A gamemode, a map, a scoreboard and an admin panel are all resources, which means installing content is always the same job.

Where resources live

mods/deathmatch/resources/

A resource is either a folder or a zip file, and its name is what you use in commands. A resource always contains a meta.xml, which is how MTA recognises it.

Install a resource

1. In the panel open Files and go to mods/deathmatch/resources/.
2. Upload the resource folder or its zip. Do not rename it.
3. In the panel Console, tell the server to rescan:

   refresh

4. Start it:

   start resourcename

No restart is needed. This is one of MTA's genuine strengths, and it means you can test a resource on a live server and stop it again if it misbehaves.

Make it start automatically

Starting a resource from the console does not survive a restart. To make it permanent, stop the server and add it to mods/deathmatch/mtaserver.conf:

<resource src="resourcename" startup="1" protected="0"/>

Order matters. A resource that depends on another must come after it.

Gamemodes and maps

A gamemode is a resource with type="gamemode" in its meta.xml, and maps are resources that declare which gamemode they belong to. To change the running gamemode:

changemode gamemodename
changemap mapname

The mapmanager resource has to be running for these to work. It is part of the default resource set.

Useful console commands

• refresh rescans the resources folder for new content.
• refreshall rescans and reloads everything, including changed files.
• restart resourcename after you edit a script.
• stop resourcename
• list shows every resource the server knows about and its state.

When a resource will not start

The panel console names the problem. The usual causes are:

• A missing or malformed meta.xml.
• A dependency that is not installed or not started. The console names it.
• The resource needing ACL rights it has not been granted. Add the resource to the appropriate group with aclgroup add Admin resource.resourcename, and only for resources you trust.
• A script error, which is printed with a file name and line number.

Client downloads

Files a resource marks as client side are downloaded by every player on join, over the server's HTTP port. A large resource means a long first join, so remove unused models and sounds before deploying a gamemode to a public server.