What is a .AR file?
The file extension .AR is associated with Unix Static Library, but in the context of gaming, specifically for the Midtown Madness and Midtown Madness 2 racing games, it represents a different type of file. In these games, an .AR file is a game data file that contains various elements used within the game. These elements include in-game menus, car models, textures, tracks, and 3D objects, all stored in a compressed format to save space and improve loading times.
Although the primary purpose of .AR files is to be used directly by the Midtown Madness games, and they are not typically opened manually by users, there are ways to access the contents of these files. Specialized software tools such as deAR for Midtown Madness and deAR2 for Midtown Madness 2 were specifically designed to extract data from these files. Additionally, general compression and decompression software like 7-Zip, Corel WinZip, and RARLAB WinRAR can also be used to extract the contents of .AR files because they are saved in a format similar to .ZIP files.
It's important to note that the game Midtown Madness 2, which utilizes these .AR files, has been discontinued. This means that the software is no longer being updated or officially supported. However, the tools mentioned for extracting data from .AR files are still available and can be used to explore or modify game data for personal use or game modding purposes.
Verification
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