# ZCure: a rewritten Blacklight: Retribution v3.02 master server

> ZCure rewrites the master server of Blacklight: Retribution v3.02 in .NET 8, based on the ZCAPI library decompiled from BLRCrashReporter.exe of an older build. It serves authentication, users, funds, friends, mail, inventory, loadouts, store, clans, missions, stats, matchmaking and game-server management over TCP/HTTP, with a UDP presence server. Its documentation describes the message format (begin and end markers, header, optional zlib compression, colon-delimited serialization) and the XXTEA encryption taken from the decompiled ZCAPI.

- Type: Case study
- Targets: Game · Protocol
- Category: Independent reconstruction cases
- Relationship: Independent reconstruction project
- Sources reviewed: 2026-11-09
- Added to the catalog: 2026-11-10
- Original resource: <https://gitlab.com/blrevive/zcure>
- Primary source: <https://gitlab.com/blrevive/zcure/-/blob/3a9e28a3c0e520facbf47daef4eb2f3235d54b17/Readme.md>
- Catalog page: <https://awesomerea.org/resources/zcure-case/>
- Record JSON: <https://awesomerea.org/resources/zcure-case/record.json>
- Chinese version: [简体中文](https://awesomerea.org/zh/resources/zcure-case/index.md)

## Requirements & limits

- **Prerequisites:** Requires the Blacklight: Retribution v3.02 client, launched with -zcureurl, -zcureport, -presenceurl and -presenceport pointing at the server.
- **Prerequisites:** Building needs the .NET 8 SDK; deployment uses Docker with a preconfigured MySQL container or a manually configured database.
- **License:** No licence file in the repository.

## Primary sources

1. <https://gitlab.com/blrevive/zcure/-/blob/3a9e28a3c0e520facbf47daef4eb2f3235d54b17/Readme.md>
2. <https://gitlab.com/blrevive/zcure/-/blob/3a9e28a3c0e520facbf47daef4eb2f3235d54b17/ZCure.API/Documentation/Protocol.md>
3. <https://gitlab.com/blrevive/zcure/-/blob/3a9e28a3c0e520facbf47daef4eb2f3235d54b17/ZCure.API/Documentation/Readme.md>
4. <https://gitlab.com/blrevive/zcure/-/blob/3a9e28a3c0e520facbf47daef4eb2f3235d54b17/ZCure.API/Documentation/Servers.md>
5. <https://gitlab.com/blrevive/zcure/-/blob/3a9e28a3c0e520facbf47daef4eb2f3235d54b17/ZCure.Server/Readme.md>

## More in Games

- [zelda_gb_disassembly: Link's Awakening Game Boy disassembly](https://awesomerea.org/resources/zelda-gb-disassembly-case/index.md) · Case study
- [zkTH06: reconstructing Touhou 6 gameplay transitions](https://awesomerea.org/resources/zkth06-case/index.md) · Case study
- [ZZT Disassembly Project: documenting ZZT creature behavior](https://awesomerea.org/resources/zztasm-case/index.md) · Case study
- [RenderDoc](https://awesomerea.org/resources/renderdoc/index.md) · Tool
- [AssetRipper](https://awesomerea.org/resources/assetripper/index.md) · Tool
- [Cpp2IL](https://awesomerea.org/resources/cpp2il/index.md) · Tool

## About this entry

The description was reviewed against primary sources.
Original editorial content: MIT. Linked projects, papers and assets retain their own rights and licenses.