diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index b0fc15410..3708d3590 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -127,14 +127,17 @@ ELSE()
 	SET(SYS_LIBS ${SYS_LIBS})
 ENDIF()
 
-FIND_PACKAGE(ZLIB)
+SET(FTE_DEP_ZLIB true CACHE BOOL "Link against zlib.")
+IF(FTE_DEP_ZLIB)
+	FIND_PACKAGE(ZLIB)
+ENDIF()
 IF(ZLIB_FOUND)
 	SET(FTE_LIB_DEFINES ${FTE_LIB_DEFINES};ZLIB_STATIC)
 	SET(FTE_LIBS ${FTE_LIBS} ${ZLIB_LIBRARIES})
 	SET(FTESV_LIBS ${FTESV_LIBS} ${ZLIB_LIBRARIES})
 	SET(FTEQCC_LIBS ${FTEQCC_LIBS} ${ZLIB_LIBRARIES})
 ELSE()
-	MESSAGE(WARNING "libz library NOT available. compressed pk3 will not be available.")
+	MESSAGE(WARNING "libz library NOT available. compressed pk3, ICE, Q2E, etc etc, yada yada, blah blah will not be available.")
 	SET(FTE_LIB_DEFINES ${FTE_LIB_DEFINES};NO_ZLIB)
 ENDIF()
 
diff --git a/engine/client/cl_parse.c b/engine/client/cl_parse.c
index ea2632617..bb1437a4a 100644
--- a/engine/client/cl_parse.c
+++ b/engine/client/cl_parse.c
@@ -1927,14 +1927,7 @@ void CL_SendDownloadReq(sizebuf_t *msg)
 }
 
 #ifdef PEXT_ZLIBDL
-#ifdef _WIN32
-#define ZEXPORT VARGS
-#include "../../zip/zlib.h"
-
-//# pragma comment (lib, "zip/zlib.lib")
-#else
 #include <zlib.h>
-#endif
 
 static char *ZLibDownloadDecode(int *messagesize, char *input, int finalsize)
 {
diff --git a/engine/common/common.c b/engine/common/common.c
index 3fa2eb4f1..0ad2b75b5 100644
--- a/engine/common/common.c
+++ b/engine/common/common.c
@@ -40,20 +40,11 @@ fte_inlinebody float M_LinearToSRGB(float x, float mag);
 
 // These 4 libraries required for the version command
 
-#if defined(_MSC_VER)
-	#ifdef AVAIL_ZLIB
-		#include "zlib.h"
-	#endif
-	#ifdef FTE_SDL
-		#include <SDL.h>
-	#endif
-#else
-	#ifdef AVAIL_ZLIB
-		#include <zlib.h>
-	#endif
-	#ifdef FTE_SDL
-		#include <SDL.h>
-	#endif
+#ifdef AVAIL_ZLIB
+	#include <zlib.h>
+#endif
+#ifdef FTE_SDL
+	#include <SDL.h>
 #endif
 
 const usercmd_t nullcmd; // guarenteed to be zero
diff --git a/engine/common/net_ice.c b/engine/common/net_ice.c
index 0a1576aec..a31d9ad76 100644
--- a/engine/common/net_ice.c
+++ b/engine/common/net_ice.c
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ typedef struct
 	unsigned short attrtype;
 	unsigned short attrlen;
 } stunattr_t;
-#if defined(SUPPORT_ICE) || defined(MASTERONLY)
+#if defined(SUPPORT_ICE) || (defined(MASTERONLY) && defined(AVAIL_ZLIB))
 #include "zlib.h"
 #endif
 #ifdef SUPPORT_ICE
@@ -4054,7 +4054,7 @@ qboolean SCTP_Handshake(const dtlsfuncs_t *dtlsfuncs, void *dtlsstate, sctp_t **
 //========================================
 #endif
 
-#if defined(SUPPORT_ICE) || defined(MASTERONLY)
+#if defined(SUPPORT_ICE) || (defined(MASTERONLY) && defined(AVAIL_ZLIB))
 qboolean ICE_WasStun(ftenet_connections_t *col)
 {
 #ifdef SUPPORT_ICE
diff --git a/engine/common/net_wins.c b/engine/common/net_wins.c
index a3c418cb4..30123137d 100644
--- a/engine/common/net_wins.c
+++ b/engine/common/net_wins.c
@@ -4656,8 +4656,10 @@ static void * NET_KexLobby_CreateContext(const dtlscred_t *credinfo, void *cbctx
 
 	return peer;
 }
+#ifdef AVAIL_ZLIB
 size_t ZLib_DecompressBuffer(const qbyte *in, size_t insize, qbyte *out, size_t maxoutsize);
 size_t ZLib_CompressBuffer(const qbyte *in, size_t insize, qbyte *out, size_t maxoutsize);
+#endif
 static neterr_t NET_KexLobby_Received(void *ctx, sizebuf_t *message)
 {
 	static float throttle;
@@ -4992,6 +4994,7 @@ static neterr_t NET_KexLobby_Transmit(void *ctx, const qbyte *data, size_t lengt
 #endif
 	if (length >= 4 && ((const qbyte*)data)[3] & 0x80)
 	{	//reliables...
+#ifdef AVAIL_ZLIB
 		if (((const qbyte*)data)[0] == 0xff && ((const qbyte*)data)[1] == 0xff && ((const qbyte*)data)[2] == 0xff && ((const qbyte*)data)[3] == 0xff)
 		{	//connect packets should be compressed... 4/8 sets of userinfo can get big and bloated, but mostly it also helps obfuscate.
 			qbyte *zdata = alloca(length+1);
@@ -5002,6 +5005,7 @@ static neterr_t NET_KexLobby_Transmit(void *ctx, const qbyte *data, size_t lengt
 				return NET_KexLobby_SendMessage(peer, KEXLAN_RELIABLE|KEXLAN_ZGAMEPACKET, zdata, zlength+1);	//send this packet reliably!
 			}
 		}
+#endif
 		return NET_KexLobby_SendMessage(peer, KEXLAN_RELIABLE|KEXLAN_GAMEPACKET, data, length);	//send this packet reliably!
 	}
 	else
@@ -10003,7 +10007,7 @@ qboolean NET_WasSpecialPacket(ftenet_connections_t *collection)
 		return true;
 #endif
 
-#if defined(SUPPORT_ICE) || defined(MASTERONLY)
+#if defined(SUPPORT_ICE) || (defined(MASTERONLY) && defined(AVAIL_ZLIB))
 	if (ICE_WasStun(collection))
 		return true;
 #endif
diff --git a/engine/qclib/qcd_main.c b/engine/qclib/qcd_main.c
index 1b66b1b20..1883ac02a 100644
--- a/engine/qclib/qcd_main.c
+++ b/engine/qclib/qcd_main.c
@@ -12,18 +12,7 @@
 #endif
 
 #ifdef AVAIL_ZLIB
-#ifdef _WIN32
-#define ZEXPORT VARGS
 #include <zlib.h>
-
-#ifdef _WIN64
-//# pragma comment (lib, "../libs/zlib64.lib") 
-#else
-//# pragma comment (lib, "../libs/zlib.lib") 
-#endif
-#else
-#include <zlib.h>
-#endif
 #endif
 
 pbool QC_decodeMethodSupported(int method)
diff --git a/plugins/mpq/fs_mpq.c b/plugins/mpq/fs_mpq.c
index fabcaafc0..be60a9956 100644
--- a/plugins/mpq/fs_mpq.c
+++ b/plugins/mpq/fs_mpq.c
@@ -583,7 +583,9 @@ static int mpqf_blastout(void *how, unsigned char *buf, unsigned len)
 }
 static void MPQF_decompress(qboolean legacymethod, void *outdata, unsigned int outlen, void *indata, unsigned int inlen)
 {
+#ifdef AVAIL_ZLIB
 	int ret;
+#endif
 
 	int methods;
 	if (legacymethod)