"Host_Error: Couldn't get DLL API from !" Created 2 years ago2022-07-17 14:54:15 UTC by NintyFan290

Hey all, not a question about my own mod but about someone else's, or rather many someone else's...'s. Hope this isn't against the thread rules or anything.

A lot of HL1 mods I have been installing recently can't load into a map at all. The first attempt at loading fails and gives me this error in the console:

"Host_Error: Couldn't get DLL API from !"

And if I try a second time the game crashes.

Anyone have any fixes? I've tried searching on Google but have found nothing that works. Before you ask, yes I have tried verifying the game files on Steam and unfortunately, nothing. I also tried replacing the mod's .dll files with the ones from the default "valve" folder but still nothing.

That error means the server dll doesn't export the API used by the game, but if it's not printing the dll name then something else is going wrong.

Run the game with the command line arguments -condebug + developer 1.

Run the game until you get the error, then check the contents of Half-Life/qconsole.log. It should have logged some information.

qconsole.log gives:

Server module initialized.
World module initialized.
Host_Error: Couldn't get DLL API from !
World module shutdown.
Server module shutdown.
Server module initialized.
World module initialized.
execing config.cfg
warning: MP3_InitStream(29, media/gamestartup.mp3) failed
"sv_aim" changed to "0"
Last 32 messages parsed.
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
0 0000 svc_bad
BAD: -1:svc_bad
Wrote erroneous message to buffer.dat
Host_Error: Couldn't get DLL API from !
World module shutdown.
Server module shutdown.
DemoPlayer module Shutdown.
Server module initialized.
World module initialized.
execing config.cfg
warning: MP3_InitStream(29, media/gamestartup.mp3) failed
"sv_aim" changed to "0"

I'll be honest I barely understand any of this, help please! :/

It looks like it's trying to load the server dll on startup, but that should only happen if it's a dedicated server.

You are trying to use the Steam version right? Not Xash or some old version?

Yep, normal, vanilla Steam Half-Life.

I believe i have found the solution! I suddenly had a realisation, it may not be working because I'm on macOS [don't hate me, can't afford a PC rn :')] so i looked up "half-life mods mac" and boom, all you need to do it point the mod's liblist.gam file to the macOS .dlls. Some mods have this by default which is why I was confused as why some were working and some weren't :0