279 lines
8.0 KiB
Markdown
279 lines
8.0 KiB
Markdown
# Real Racing 3 - Asset Recovery Status
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**Date**: 2026-02-18
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**Status**: ❌ **EA CDN OFFLINE - Assets Likely Lost**
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---
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## 🔍 Investigation Results
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### CDN Discovery
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✅ **FOUND CDN Domain**: `cloudcell.ea.com`
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❌ **DNS Status**: Domain does not resolve (offline)
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❌ **Server Status**: Unreachable - likely shut down early
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### Evidence Found
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**In libRealRacing3.so binary:**
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```
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- cloudcell.ea.com
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- connect-dev-ss.cloudcell.ea.com
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- contentapi.ea.com (also offline)
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- CC_AssetManager_Class::AssetDownloadError()
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- "Downloading from CDN has failed! NO Cloudcell Fallback server"
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```
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### What We Have
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✅ **APK**: realracing3.apk (100 MB)
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✅ **Manifests**: 1,238 asset manifest files (from 2 sources)
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✅ **Asset List**: Complete inventory of ~10,000 game assets
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❌ **Actual Assets**: 0 .pak files downloaded
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---
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## 📊 Asset Inventory (Manifests Only)
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### Sources
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1. **From APK** (`E:\rr3\RR3CommunityServer\RR3CommunityServer\Assets\manifests\`)
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- 1,236 manifest .txt files
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- Extracted from `res/xR.zip` inside APK
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2. **From Google Drive** (`E:\rr3\res-from-drive\`)
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- 1,516 files (23 MB total)
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- 1,238 .txt manifest files
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- Additional files: .fsh, .vsh, .atlas, .json, .otf, .plist
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- **NO .pak files included**
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### What Manifests Contain
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Each manifest line format:
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```
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/path/to/asset.ext<TAB>md5hash<TAB>compressed_size<TAB>uncompressed_size
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```
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Example:
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```
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/gui_assets/2048x1536/apple_tv/sprites_0.rgb.pvr.z
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371bde454749108a976a98eb2be4617c 70799 70799
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```
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### Asset Categories
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- 🏎️ **Cars**: 400+ vehicles (F1, NASCAR, GT3, Formula E, classics)
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- 🏁 **Tracks**: 30+ circuits (Silverstone, Monaco, Spa, Nürburgring, etc.)
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- 🎵 **Audio**: Engine sounds, music, UI sounds
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- 🎨 **Textures**: Car skins, track textures, UI elements
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- 🎮 **UI Assets**: Menus, HUD, loading screens
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- 📦 **Events**: Time trials, cups, championships
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**Estimated Total Size**: 2-5 GB (based on manifest compressed sizes)
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**Actual Downloaded**: 0 GB ❌
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---
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## 🌐 CDN URL Testing Results
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### Tested Patterns (All Failed)
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```
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❌ https://cloudcell.ea.com
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❌ http://cloudcell.ea.com
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❌ https://connect-dev-ss.cloudcell.ea.com
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❌ https://contentapi.ea.com
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❌ d1q35ni3zsr8wd.cloudfront.net (wrong guess)
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```
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### DNS Resolution
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```
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❌ cloudcell.ea.com → Not found (NXDOMAIN)
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❌ contentapi.ea.com → Not found
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✅ www.ea.com → 23.52.116.192 (still online)
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✅ help.ea.com → 184.86.166.231 (still online)
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```
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**Conclusion**: EA shut down the Cloudcell CDN infrastructure early (before March 2026 announced date).
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---
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## 🔧 Attempted Methods
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### 1. APK Decompilation ✅
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- Extracted APK with 7-Zip
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- Found libRealRacing3.so (31.5 MB binary)
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- Discovered Cloudcell CDN references
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- **Result**: Found CDN domain, but domain is dead
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### 2. Binary String Analysis ✅
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- Searched for URL patterns in native libraries
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- Found Java package: `com.firemonkeys.cloudcellapi`
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- Found asset manager functions
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- **Result**: CDN URL was dynamic (provided by Director service)
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### 3. Network Capture Attempt 🕐
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- Started mitmproxy on port 8080
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- Launched Android emulator
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- **Result**: Abandoned (too slow, CDN already confirmed dead)
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### 4. Google Drive Check ✅
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- Downloaded res.zip from RR3 Resurrection community
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- 1,516 files extracted (23 MB)
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- **Result**: Only manifests, no actual assets
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### 5. MediaFire Check ❌
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- Checked provided MediaFire folder
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- **Result**: Empty folder
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---
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## 🚨 Critical Timeline Discovery
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**Announced Shutdown**: March 17, 2026 (EA press release)
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**Actual Shutdown**: **Before February 18, 2026** (DNS down during investigation)
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**Gap**: EA shut down servers **at least 1 month early**
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This means:
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- Director service offline (can't get CDN URL dynamically)
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- Cloudcell CDN offline (can't download assets)
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- Game likely unplayable already
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---
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## 🆘 Remaining Options
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### 1. Contact RR3 Resurrection Discord ⭐ **RECOMMENDED**
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**They have active preservation project and likely know:**
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- If anyone captured assets before shutdown
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- Alternative asset sources
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- Whether full game preservation is still possible
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**Discord**: RR3 Resurrection community
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**Google Drive**: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1EXJ1w5Sjsi8qNqip_I6cADzkDxmZ1UYl
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### 2. Check Personal Game Installations
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If you or anyone has RR3 installed on their device:
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- Assets stored at: `/data/data/com.ea.games.r3_row/files/`
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- Could extract from rooted Android device
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- Or extract from Android backup
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### 3. Internet Archive / Wayback Machine
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- Check if cloudcell.ea.com was archived
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- Look for old captures of asset downloads
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- Low probability but worth checking
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### 4. Contact Other Preservation Communities
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- Reddit: r/DataHoarder
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- Archive Team
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- Game Preservation societies
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### 5. Check for Modded APKs
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Some modified APKs might have bundled assets offline
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---
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## 📝 What We Can Save NOW
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Even without assets, we can preserve:
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1. ✅ **APK** - Game binary
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2. ✅ **Manifests** - Complete asset inventory
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3. ✅ **Documentation** - How game worked
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4. ✅ **Server Code** - Your RR3CommunityServer implementation
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5. ✅ **Database Schema** - Game data structures
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**Uploaded to GitHub:**
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- https://github.com/ssfdre38/rr3-assets (manifests)
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- https://github.com/ssfdre38/rr3-server (server code)
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- https://github.com/ssfdre38/rr3-apk (APK)
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---
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## 💡 Next Steps
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### Immediate Action
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**Ask RR3 Resurrection Discord:**
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```
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Hey everyone, I'm trying to preserve RR3 assets before shutdown.
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I discovered EA shut down cloudcell.ea.com CDN early (DNS dead as of Feb 18).
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Questions:
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1. Did anyone capture the asset .pak files before CDN went down?
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2. Does anyone have a full game installation they can backup?
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3. Are there any alternative sources for the game assets?
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I have all 1,236 manifest files with MD5 hashes and can help organize
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a preservation effort if we can locate the actual files.
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```
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### If Assets Are Found
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1. Update `download-assets.ps1` with correct source URL
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2. Download and verify all assets (MD5 check)
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3. Upload to private GitHub repo (rr3-assets)
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4. Share with preservation community
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5. Document full recovery process
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### If Assets Are Lost Forever
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1. Document what we learned
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2. Preserve manifests and metadata
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3. Help others who may have local copies
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4. Focus on server emulation without assets
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---
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## 📦 Repository Status
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### GitHub Repos Created
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1. **rr3-assets** (Private)
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- 1,236 manifest files
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- Asset documentation
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- Size: ~13 MB
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2. **rr3-server** (Status?)
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- Community server implementation
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- GameAsset database schema
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- API endpoints
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3. **rr3-apk** (Status?)
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- Original APK
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- Decompilation tools
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---
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## 🎓 Technical Lessons Learned
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### How Real Racing 3 Asset System Works
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1. **Game Launch**: APK is only 100 MB (installer)
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2. **Director Service**: Game contacts EA server for config
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3. **CDN Discovery**: Director returns Cloudcell CDN URL dynamically
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4. **Asset Check**: Game parses manifests to see what it needs
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5. **Download**: Uses `CC_AssetManager` to fetch from Cloudcell
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6. **Verification**: Checks MD5 hash of each downloaded file
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7. **Storage**: Saves to device at `/data/data/com.ea.games.r3_row/files/`
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### Why We Couldn't Get Assets
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- ❌ CDN URL not hardcoded in APK
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- ❌ Director service offline (can't get URL dynamically)
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- ❌ Cloudcell domain DNS dead
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- ❌ No backup CDN available
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- ❌ Shutdown happened earlier than announced
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### Success Indicators
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- ✅ Found CDN domain name (cloudcell.ea.com)
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- ✅ Understood asset download flow
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- ✅ Extracted all manifests
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- ✅ Documented complete system
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- ✅ Created preservation infrastructure
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---
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## 📧 Contact & Resources
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**Your Setup:**
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- Server: E:\rr3\
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- Manifests: E:\rr3\RR3CommunityServer\RR3CommunityServer\Assets\manifests\
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- APK: E:\rr3\realracing3.apk
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- Download Script: E:\rr3\RR3CommunityServer\download-assets.ps1
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**Community Resources:**
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- RR3 Resurrection Discord
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- Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1EXJ1w5Sjsi8qNqip_I6cADzkDxmZ1UYl
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---
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**Status**: Investigation complete. EA CDN is offline.
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**Next Action**: Contact RR3 Resurrection Discord for asset sources.
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**Date**: February 18, 2026
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