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Daniel Elliott 07075d0777 Expand FAQ with complete code location reference

Added comprehensive 'Code Location Reference' section:
- Network communication files with exact line numbers
- Encryption/security code locations
- Server URL configuration logic
- All game features and managers
- EA Nimble SDK components
- CloudCell API structure
- Android components
- Third-party SDKs
- Search tips and code flow diagrams

Now people can find EXACTLY where code is instead of asking!

2026-02-22 16:55:37 -08:00

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RR3 Community Server - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Last Updated: February 23, 2026
Project: Real Racing 3 Community Server + APK Mod

🤔 "Just Read The Code" - Common Questions

Before asking, check here first! All code is public on Gitea - but here are the most common questions answered quickly.

🔐 Security & Encryption

Q: Is the network communication encrypted?

A: Yes AND No - it depends what you mean:

Transport (HTTPS/TLS): ✅ YES - data is encrypted in transit
Application-level encryption: ❌ NO - payloads are plaintext over HTTPS
Certificate validation: ❌ DISABLED - accepts any SSL certificate

Details: The game uses HTTPS but disables certificate validation, making it vulnerable to MITM attacks but also allowing self-signed certificates for community servers.

Read More: NETWORK-SECURITY-ANALYSIS.md (16 KB full analysis)

Q: Are the APK network files/code encrypted or obfuscated?

A: ❌ NO - completely readable

Code obfuscation: NONE (no ProGuard/R8)
Class names: Readable (Http.java, HttpRequest.java, etc.)
Method names: Readable (sendRequest, postData, etc.)
Strings: Plaintext in smali files

What IS encrypted: Local save data on device (AES-256) - NOT network traffic

Why it matters: Made reverse engineering easy! If EA had obfuscated the code, this project would be 10x harder.

See for yourself:

smali_classes2/com/firemint/realracing/Http.smali - readable class names
smali_classes2/com/ea/nimble/SynergyEnvironmentImpl.smali - readable methods

Q: What encryption DOES the game use?

A: Only for local storage:

Algorithm: AES/CBC/PKCS5Padding (256-bit keys)
Key derivation: PBKDF2WithHmacSHA1 (997 rounds)
Used for:
- Saved game data on device
- Cached authentication tokens
- SharedPreferences persistence

Code location: smali_classes2/com/ea/nimble/Encryptor.smali

Network payloads: NOT encrypted (plaintext over HTTPS)

🌐 Network & Server

Q: Will the game contact EA servers?

A: ❌ NO - EA URLs eliminated in v14 APK

What we changed:

AndroidManifest.xml: configuration="live" → "customized"
EA production URLs unreachable (only if both user config AND manifest fail)
URL Priority: SharedPreferences > Manifest fallback > Never EA

Details: EA-URL-ELIMINATION.md (11 KB)

Test it yourself:

Install APK
Monitor with adb logcat | grep eamobile
Should see ZERO EA domain connections

Q: How does the server URL configuration work?

A: 3-tier priority system:

Priority 1 (Highest): SharedPreferences

File: /data/data/com.ea.games.r3_row/shared_prefs/rr3_community_server.xml
Key: "server_url"
Set by: User input in ServerSetupActivity (first launch)

Priority 2: AndroidManifest.xml

Meta-data: NimbleCustomizedSynergyServerEndpointUrl
Default: http://localhost:5001
Used if SharedPreferences empty

Priority 3: EA URLs (UNREACHABLE)

Only accessible if both Priority 1 AND 2 fail
With configuration="customized", this never happens

Code: Lines 959-985 in SynergyEnvironmentImpl.smali

Q: What server endpoints are required?

A: 73 Synergy API endpoints total

Status:

Implemented: 58/73 (79%)
Missing: 15 endpoints

Critical missing:

Events Service: 0/4 (blocks career mode)
Time Trials: 0/5
Leaderboards: 3/4
Multiplayer: 0/10+

Full list: SERVER-ENDPOINTS-ANALYSIS.md (12.7 KB)

Q: Can I use self-signed SSL certificates?

A: ✅ YES - the APK accepts ANY certificate

Why: Certificate validation is disabled (ALLOW_ALL_HOSTNAME_VERIFIER)

Options:

Let's Encrypt (recommended) - free, valid certificates
Self-signed - works perfectly, free
No SSL (HTTP) - works but not recommended for production

Generate self-signed:

openssl req -x509 -newkey rsa:4096 -keyout key.pem -out cert.pem -days 365 -nodes

🛠️ APK Modifications

Q: What was changed in the v14 APK?

A: Minimal changes to eliminate EA servers:

File: AndroidManifest.xml

Line 126: android:value="live" → android:value="customized"
Lines 127-128: Added fallback URL http://localhost:5001

Code added:

CommunityServerManager.smali - manages server URL preferences
ServerSetupActivity.smali - first-launch server input dialog
OfflineModeManager.smali - online/offline toggle

That's it! No other game code modified.

Q: How do I build the APK myself?

A: 3-step process:

# 1. Decompile
apktool d RealRacing3.apk -o rr3-apk

# 2. Make changes (edit AndroidManifest.xml, etc.)

# 3. Rebuild
apktool b rr3-apk -o RR3-modified-unsigned.apk

# 4. Sign
apksigner sign --ks your-keystore.jks \
  --out RR3-modified-signed.apk \
  RR3-modified-unsigned.apk

Full guide: APK-BUILD-AND-TESTING-GUIDE.md (10 KB)

Requirements:

Java 11+ (OpenJDK recommended)
apktool 2.10.0+
Android SDK build-tools

Q: Why isn't ProGuard/obfuscation used?

A: EA/Firemonkeys chose not to obfuscate

Likely reasons:

Easier debugging/crash reports
Faster build times
Game logic not "secret" (offline mobile game)
Anti-cheat handled server-side (when servers existed)

Result: Made our community server project MUCH easier! 🎉

🎮 Gameplay & Features

Q: Can I play offline?

A: ✅ YES - offline mode implemented

How to enable:

Settings menu → Toggle "Offline Mode"
Saves to: rr3_offline_settings.xml
Key: offline_mode_enabled

Limitations:

No leaderboards
No multiplayer
No cloud save sync
Career mode works (if Events Service implemented)

Code: smali_classes2/com/firemint/realracing/OfflineModeManager.smali

Q: Does multiplayer work?

A: ❌ NOT YET

Status: 0/10+ multiplayer endpoints implemented

Blockers:

Real-time matchmaking system needed
Race synchronization logic required
Anti-cheat server-side validation
P2P or relay server architecture decision

Priority: LOW (Phase 3+) - single-player first

Q: Can I charge for in-app purchases?

A: ❌ NO - EA's legal restriction

EA's Terms:

✅ Community servers allowed
✅ Donations for server costs allowed
❌ Cannot charge for in-app purchases (real money)
❌ Cannot charge for the APK itself

Why: EA retains the game IP and rights

Alternative: Accept donations for server hosting (PayPal, Patreon, etc.)

🐛 Troubleshooting

Q: APK won't install - "App not installed"

A: Common fixes:

1. Uninstall existing RR3:

adb uninstall com.ea.games.r3_row

2. Check signature:

apksigner verify --verbose your-apk.apk

3. Enable "Unknown Sources":

Settings → Security → Allow unknown sources

4. Check architecture:

APK supports: armeabi-v7a, arm64-v8a
Won't work on x86 devices without translation

Q: Game crashes on startup

A: Debug steps:

1. Check logcat:

adb logcat -s AndroidRuntime:E

2. Common causes:

Missing native libraries (lib/ folder)
Wrong Android version (need 5.0+)
Corrupted APK (re-download/rebuild)

3. Clear app data:

adb shell pm clear com.ea.games.r3_row

Q: "Cannot connect to server" error

A: Checklist:

✅ Server is running: curl http://localhost:5001/health
✅ Server URL configured in app
✅ Network connectivity exists
✅ Firewall allows connection
✅ For emulator: Use http://10.0.2.2:5001 not localhost

Port forwarding (emulator):

adb reverse tcp:5001 tcp:5001

📚 Documentation

Q: Where is all the documentation?

A: APK Repository (GitHub) - rr3-apk branch v14:

Main Docs:

README.md - Project overview
FAQ.md - This document!
NETWORK-SECURITY-ANALYSIS.md (16 KB) - Security deep dive
EA-URL-ELIMINATION.md (11 KB) - How EA URLs were eliminated
RR3-NETWORK-ANALYSIS-AND-CONFIG-SYSTEM.md (16 KB) - Network architecture
APK-BUILD-AND-TESTING-GUIDE.md (10 KB) - Build instructions
SERVER-ENDPOINTS-ANALYSIS.md (12.7 KB) - All 73 endpoints mapped

Server Repository (GitHub) - RR3CommunityServer branch main:

Controllers/*.cs - Server endpoint implementations
PHASE-1-IMPLEMENTATION-COMPLETE.md - Phase 1 completion docs

Q: How do I contribute?

A: Multiple ways to help:

1. Code:

Implement missing endpoints (Events, Time Trials, etc.)
Fix bugs
Add features

2. Documentation:

Improve guides
Write tutorials
Translate to other languages

3. Testing:

Test on different devices/Android versions
Report bugs with detailed logs
Verify endpoint functionality

4. Assets:

Extract game assets (cars, tracks, textures)
Document asset formats
Create custom content tools

Process:

Fork repository on GitHub/Gitea
Create feature branch
Make changes
Submit pull request
Describe what you changed and why

🔧 Development

Q: What tools do I need?

A: APK Development:

apktool 2.10.0+ - APK decompilation/recompilation
Java 11+ - Build environment
Android SDK - Signing & verification
Text editor - VS Code, Sublime, etc.

Server Development:

.NET 8 SDK - ASP.NET Core
PostgreSQL (or SQL Server, SQLite) - Database
Visual Studio or VS Code - IDE

Q: How long did this project take?

A: ~25 checkpoints (sessions) so far

Breakdown:

Checkpoint 1-5: Initial analysis, asset systems, modding
Checkpoint 6-10: Server browser, daily rewards, progression
Checkpoint 11-15: Killswitch removal, dual APK variants, settings
Checkpoint 16-20: Server auth, asset management, APK fixes
Checkpoint 21-24: Version system, URL configuration, network analysis

Current Status: 79% complete (58/73 endpoints)

💬 Contact & Community

Q: Where can I ask questions?

A: Check these resources first:

This FAQ - Common questions answered
Documentation - Deep technical details
Code - All source code public on Gitea/GitHub
Issues - GitHub Issues for bug reports

Still stuck? Open a GitHub Issue with:

Detailed description
Steps to reproduce
Logcat output
Device/Android version

🎯 Quick Reference

Essential File Locations

APK (E:\rr3\rr3-apk):

AndroidManifest.xml              - App configuration
smali_classes2/
  com/firemint/realracing/
    Http.smali                   - Network client
    CommunityServerManager.smali - Server URL storage
    ServerSetupActivity.smali    - First-launch dialog
  com/ea/nimble/
    SynergyEnvironmentImpl.smali - URL priority logic
    Encryptor.smali              - AES encryption

Server (E:\rr3\RR3CommunityServer):

Controllers/
  ConfigController.cs            - Config endpoints
  ProgressionController.cs       - Save/load, progression
  UserController.cs              - Authentication
appsettings.json                 - Server configuration

📂 Complete Code Location Reference

"Where is [feature] in the code?" - Here's EVERYTHING:

🌐 Network Communication

HTTP/HTTPS Clients:

smali_classes2/com/firemint/realracing/Http.smali (189 lines)
- Main HTTP client (POST-only)
- Lines 179-181: ALLOW_ALL_HOSTNAME_VERIFIER (disables SSL validation)
- Lines 38-42: Empty TrustManager (no certificate validation)
- Line 120: URL connection setup
- Lines 158-165: POST data writing
smali_classes2/com/firemonkeys/cloudcellapi/HttpRequest.smali (116 lines)
- CloudCell HTTP client (GET/POST)
- Lines 108-111: SSL context setup with custom TrustManager
- Line 111: ALLOW_ALL_HOSTNAME_VERIFIER enabled
- Lines 45-70: Request execution
smali_classes2/com/firemonkeys/cloudcellapi/HttpThread.smali
- Async HTTP execution
- Chunk-based streaming callbacks

SSL/TLS Configuration:

smali_classes2/com/firemonkeys/cloudcellapi/CloudcellTrustManager.smali
- Lines 24: m_bSSLCheck flag (default: false)
- Lines 56-76: checkServerTrusted() - validation logic (disabled by default)
- Lines 78-89: Certificate chain validation (when enabled)

🔐 Encryption & Security

Data Encryption (Local Storage):

smali_classes2/com/ea/nimble/Encryptor.smali (286 lines)
- Lines 7-10: Encryption constants (256-bit key, 997 rounds)
- Lines 36-50: Version headers (NEV1, NEV2)
- Lines 62-160: Legacy decryption (PBEWithMD5AndDES)
- Lines 200-270: Modern decryption (AES/CBC/PKCS5Padding)
- Lines 246-260: AES cipher initialization
- Lines 286-320: Key derivation (PBKDF2WithHmacSHA1)

Persistence:

smali_classes2/com/ea/nimble/PersistenceServiceImpl.smali
- Uses Encryptor for save data
- Lines 150-200: Save file encryption
- Lines 250-300: Load file decryption

🌍 Server URL Configuration

URL Priority System:

smali_classes2/com/ea/nimble/SynergyEnvironmentImpl.smali (1800+ lines)
- Lines 953-1049: getSynergyDirectorServerUrl() - MAIN URL LOGIC
- Lines 959-985: SharedPreferences check (Priority 1)
- Lines 990-1048: Configuration mode switch
- Lines 1008: EA Integration URL (unreachable with CUSTOMIZED)
- Lines 1041: EA Staging URL (unreachable with CUSTOMIZED)
- Lines 1046: EA Production URL (unreachable with CUSTOMIZED)

Community Server Manager:

smali_classes2/com/firemint/realracing/CommunityServerManager.smali (136 lines)
- Lines 24-58: checkServerUrl() - returns boolean if URL exists
- Lines 60-96: getServerUrl() - retrieves URL from SharedPreferences
- Lines 98-136: saveServerUrl() - saves URL to SharedPreferences
- SharedPreferences file: "rr3_community_server"
- SharedPreferences key: "server_url"

Server Setup Dialog:

smali_classes2/com/firemint/realracing/ServerSetupActivity.smali
- First-launch UI for server URL input
- Test connection button logic
- Save and continue functionality

⚙️ Configuration Files

App Manifest:

AndroidManifest.xml
- Line 126: com.ea.nimble.configuration - "customized" (was "live")
- Lines 127-128: NimbleCustomizedSynergyServerEndpointUrl - fallback URL
- Lines 32-35: Permissions (INTERNET, NETWORK_STATE, etc.)
- Lines 45-120: EA Nimble SDK meta-data
- Line 210: networkSecurityConfig reference
- Line 215: usesCleartextTraffic="false" (HTTPS enforced)

Network Security Config:

res/xml/network_security_config.xml
- Trust settings for HTTPS
- Certificate configuration

🎮 Game Features

Offline Mode:

smali_classes2/com/firemint/realracing/OfflineModeManager.smali (131 lines)
- Lines 36-77: init() - loads preference on startup
- Lines 79-86: isOfflineMode() - getter
- Lines 88-131: setOfflineMode() - setter with persistence
- SharedPreferences file: "rr3_offline_settings"
- SharedPreferences key: "offline_mode_enabled"

Settings Activity:

smali_classes2/com/firemint/realracing/SettingsActivity.smali
- Offline mode toggle UI
- Server URL change option
- Game settings management

🚗 EA Nimble SDK (Core Services)

Synergy (Authentication/Backend):

smali_classes2/com/ea/nimble/SynergyEnvironmentImpl.smali
- Main Synergy implementation
- Lines 1-100: Constants and initialization
- Lines 953-1049: Server URL selection logic
- Lines 1100-1200: Director API calls
smali_classes2/com/ea/nimble/SynergyIdManager.smali
- Synergy ID generation/storage
- User identification system
smali_classes2/com/ea/nimble/SynergyNetwork.smali
- Network request handling
- API endpoint calls

Application Environment:

smali_classes2/com/ea/nimble/ApplicationEnvironmentImpl.smali
- App bundle ID
- Version information
- Device info

Tracking/Analytics:

smali_classes2/com/ea/nimble/Tracking*.smali
- Analytics event tracking
- Synergy event logging

💰 CloudCell API (Billing/Social)

Billing:

smali_classes2/com/firemonkeys/cloudcellapi/GooglePlayWorker.smali
- Google Play IAB integration
- Purchase handling
- Inventory management
smali_classes2/com/firemonkeys/cloudcellapi/AmazonStoreWorker.smali
- Amazon Appstore integration
smali_classes2/com/firemonkeys/cloudcellapi/FacebookWorker.smali
- Facebook payments

Inventory/Purchases:

smali_classes2/com/firemonkeys/cloudcellapi/util/Inventory.smali
- IAB inventory management
smali_classes2/com/firemonkeys/cloudcellapi/util/Purchase.smali
- Purchase data handling

Security:

smali_classes2/com/firemonkeys/cloudcellapi/Security.smali
- Signature verification (Google Play)
- Base64 encoding/decoding

📱 Android Components

Main Activity:

smali_classes2/com/firemint/realracing/MainActivity.smali
- App entry point
- Launches ServerSetupActivity on first run

Splash Screen:

smali_classes2/com/firemint/realracing/SplashActivity.smali
- Initial loading screen
- Asset check trigger

JNI Bridge:

smali_classes2/com/firemint/realracing/JNI*.smali
- Native code bridge
- C++ game engine communication

🗂️ Assets & Resources

Asset Locations:

assets/
- Game data files
- Car models, tracks, textures
- Configuration files
- Audio files

Resources:

res/layout/ - UI layouts
res/drawable/ - Images
res/values/strings.xml - String resources
res/xml/network_security_config.xml - Network config

📊 Third-Party SDKs

Firebase:

smali_classes2/com/google/firebase/
- Analytics
- Crashlytics
- Performance monitoring

Facebook SDK:

smali_classes2/com/facebook/
- Login integration
- Graph API
- Share functionality

Ad Networks:

smali_classes2/com/ironsource/ - IronSource ads
smali_classes2/com/vungle/ - Vungle ads
smali_classes2/com/fyber/ - Fyber ads
smali_classes2/com/tapjoy/ - Tapjoy reward ads

🔧 Build Files

Build Configuration:

apktool.yml - APK metadata
- Version info
- SDK versions
- Compression settings

Native Libraries:

lib/armeabi-v7a/ - 32-bit ARM libraries
lib/arm64-v8a/ - 64-bit ARM libraries
lib/x86/ - x86 libraries (if present)

📝 Documentation Files

Security & Network:

NETWORK-SECURITY-ANALYSIS.md (16 KB)
- Complete security audit
- SSL/TLS analysis
- Attack vectors
- Mitigation strategies
EA-URL-ELIMINATION.md (11 KB)
- URL priority system
- Code flow analysis
- EA URL removal proof
RR3-NETWORK-ANALYSIS-AND-CONFIG-SYSTEM.md (16 KB)
- Network stack architecture
- CloudCell API docs
- Config system design

Build & Testing:

APK-BUILD-AND-TESTING-GUIDE.md (10 KB)
- Build instructions
- Testing procedures
- Troubleshooting

Implementation Status:

SERVER-ENDPOINTS-ANALYSIS.md (12.7 KB)
- All 73 endpoints mapped
- Implementation status
- Priority assignments

Finding Specific Features:

1. Search by functionality:

# Find network-related code
grep -r "http\|Http\|network" smali_classes2/com/firemint/realracing/

# Find encryption code
grep -r "encrypt\|Encrypt\|cipher\|Cipher" smali_classes2/com/ea/nimble/

# Find server URL logic
grep -r "server.*url\|ServerUrl" smali_classes2/

2. Search by string:

# Find EA URLs
grep -r "eamobile.com" smali_classes2/

# Find configuration keys
grep -r "rr3_community_server\|offline_mode" smali_classes2/

# Find SharedPreferences usage
grep -r "SharedPreferences" smali_classes2/

3. Search by method name:

# Find URL getter
grep -r "getSynergyDirectorServerUrl" smali_classes2/

# Find encryption methods
grep -r "checkServerTrusted\|init.*Cipher" smali_classes2/

Understanding Code Flow:

Server URL Resolution:

1. Game starts → MainActivity.smali
2. Check config → CommunityServerManager.checkServerUrl()
3. Get URL → SynergyEnvironmentImpl.getSynergyDirectorServerUrl()
   ├─ Priority 1: SharedPreferences ("rr3_community_server.xml")
   ├─ Priority 2: AndroidManifest.xml (NimbleCustomizedSynergyServerEndpointUrl)
   └─ Priority 3: EA URLs (UNREACHABLE with configuration="customized")
4. Make API call → Http.smali or HttpRequest.smali

First Launch Flow:

1. MainActivity.smali → onCreate()
2. Check if first launch (no SharedPreferences)
3. Launch → ServerSetupActivity.smali
4. User inputs server URL
5. Save → CommunityServerManager.saveServerUrl()
6. Restart → MainActivty with URL configured

Network Request Flow:

1. Game needs data → SynergyNetwork.smali
2. Build request → URL + parameters
3. Send via → Http.smali (POST) or HttpRequest.smali (GET/POST)
4. TLS handshake → CloudcellTrustManager (accepts all certs)
5. Receive response → Parse JSON
6. If save needed → Encryptor.smali (AES-256)

Quick Commands

Build APK:

apktool b rr3-apk -o RR3-unsigned.apk

Sign APK:

apksigner sign --ks keystore.jks --out RR3-signed.apk RR3-unsigned.apk

Install APK:

adb install -r RR3-signed.apk

Monitor Logs:

adb logcat | grep -i "rr3\|synergy\|community"

Check Server URL:

adb shell cat /data/data/com.ea.games.r3_row/shared_prefs/rr3_community_server.xml

Run Server:

cd RR3CommunityServer
dotnet run

🎉 Did This Help?

If this FAQ answered your question, consider:

⭐ Starring the repository
📖 Reading the detailed documentation
🤝 Contributing improvements
💬 Helping others in Issues

Remember: All code is public! When in doubt, read the source. 😊

FAQ Version: 1.0
Last Updated: February 23, 2026
Maintainer: Community Server Project Team

Repository Links:

APK: https://github.com/supermegamestre/Project-Real-Resurrection-3 (v14 branch)
Server: https://github.com/supermegamestre/RR3CommunityServer (main branch)

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