I'm going to ask all the newbie questions now, since you're keen to write a newb guide. Great idea by the way!
What is metamod, please? And why can't you just install Sourcemod on to a game server?
(The reason I ask is that I think understanding why you're doing something helps a person understand how the whole thing works)
What's the usual structure for activating Sourcemod plugins, please?
I see mention of .SMX files a lot and these, I think, are usually accompanied by at least 1 .CFG file that has all the settings for the particular plugin in it. Once these two elements are in the right folders,
is there a 'central' Sourcemod .CFG file that needs to include a line for that particular plugin, please? For example:
activatemyshinyplugin "1"
What are considered 'good' set-ups for different games supported by Sourcemod, please?
By this I mean a 'good' starting server.cfg and 'essential' plugins that players will general expect to be able to access or information they expect to see. There are a vast array of plugins here, I have no idea which ones are considered 'the standard', aside from making a call based on which ones seem to be installed on lots of servers.
Is there a simple list of admin commands floating about that explains what they do, please?
There seem to be at least three different ways of doing the same thing through through various inputs, like the console and in-game chat and 'quick commands' that use symbols, like '@'.
Is there 'a best practice' or what's simpler the easiest approach?
What's the difference between 'rcon' and 'sm_admin' and other command prefixes, please?
Do I need to use a password to access my admin rights or can they be set up to be linked to my name/IP/Steam ID, please?
Can I get admin commands to echo me back that they've done something or get used to trusting something happened, please?
Is there a clear and easy way to set up a reserved slot system for Sourcemod servers, please?
How do I add people to a list of regulars, who get preferrential treatment and make sure that those who get kicked know why it's happening?
Is there an easy way to allow players to initiate votes on maps, settings and possibly even bans, if someone is being an idiot and there's no admin present, please?
Can this be logged or set to send an email to an admin list, so they can check on banning issues?
Is there any point having HLstats? What are they? Do people care about it? Should I care if I want to encourage return players?
And finally, a very specific question that's been bugging me for ages.
How do you set up player commands that allow them to choose to join your Steam group, please?
I've seen advertisement messages come up on some servers that say "Why not join our steam group, just type !steam". I'd like to be able to offer this ability to players.
Is it also possible to do something similar for sending feedback or easily and quickly adding the server to their favourites, please?
I'll stop there. I know I and a heck of a lot of people will appreciate answers to these things in a structured way that makes Sourcemod more accessible. It's clearly a very powerful and useful server tool, but to someone coming into this environment without much prior knowledge of game server admin-ing, it's currently quite impenetrable and requires a lot of searching to pull together the basic information. I realise that not everyone will agree with that, but this is my experience. I also appreciate that admin-ing a gaming server isn't for everyone and does require at least a little technical knowledge.
All help and advice greatly, greatly appreciated.