Opening a CTR File

The CTR file type is primarily associated with Humankind.

CTR	File extension: CTR
	File type:	archive file

What is a CTR file

CTR files mostly belong to Humankind. CTR files are container files that hold data in various internal formats. Some of these files store a Humankind game save using a ZIP wrapper to archive game progress. Others act as a Command & Conquer mod archive for game modifications, compressing game data for titles like Generals and its Zero Hour expansion.
In addition, certain CTR files use the JSON format to save data for mortgage applications, as seen with Suncorp Bank's Credit Calculator. More instances include files that encapsulate a SQLite database, a JPEG image used as an encrypted disk image (from tools such as Adobe Photoshop), or even font files that may be TrueType and are editable with software like FontLab (FontLab) or FontForge (FontForge).
These diverse formats mean that the method to open and view a CTR file depends on its internal structure.
Use cases include:

Game save data (ZIP-based)

Mod archives (compressed game modifications)

Application data (JSON-based mortgage data)

Databases (SQLite files)

Encrypted disk images (contained in JPEG format)

Font files (TrueType or other formats editable with font editors)

How do you open CTR files?

You need a suitable software like Humankind to open a CTR file. Without proper software you will receive a Windows message "How do you want to open this file?" or "Windows cannot open this file" or a similar Mac/iPhone/Android alert. If you cannot open your CTR file correctly, try to right-click or long-press the file. Then click "Open with" and choose an application. You can also display a CTR file directly in the browser:. Just drag the file onto this browser window and drop it.

Online CTR Text Viewer

Choose your .ctr file to analyze

or drag and drop it here

Online File Viewer

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Programs that open and convert CTR files:

Humankind
See the previous paragraphs to learn more about the main application. CTR files are often referred to as Humankind games because this type of file is primarily created or used by this software.
CATALYST (Text Parsing Rules File) by Alchemy Software Development Ltd.
Alchemy CATALYST 4.0 provides a secure environment for the translation of software and Internet based applications.
Corel40 Trace File
Counter File
A number of programs use .CTR for a generic counter file of some sort. These can be simple numbers, text, or some other encoded format.
CTRAN/W (DEFINE Data File) by Geo-Slope International
CTRAN/W is a finite element software product that can be used to model the movement of contaminants through porous materials such as soil and rock.
ERGO (Receiver Configuration File) by Creative Express Corporation
ERGO is integrated software to enhance shortwave radio listening.
The Cookie Counter! (Hit Count File) by CLIQ Services Coop
counter.cgi is a simple program to generate a graphical web site counter using server-side includes. It uses cookies to ensure that each visitor is counted once only per session, and contains provision for playing an embedded sound file on the first hit, and either displaying the count without incrementing, or incrementing without displaying.

CTR file format:

To find out what program is needed to open CTR files, you need to determine the file format. Each file format has a unique extension and almost always a unique signature. For example, Microsoft Word documents have the extension .docx and the signature (usually the first 3 characters in this file) PK. Nonetheless, different programs can utilize the same file extension to represent distinct file formats. Double-clicking on the file often results in an error when opening. So a detailed analysis of a file is vital in order to determine the format and the associated program. In the following you will find our evaluation of the CTR files:

CTR is one of the most common file extensions and is mainly used by one program with a specific format. However, the following two file formats are common:

75% of all CTR files are based on the zip format, i.e. a CTR file contains several compressed files. The included 4 to 250 files have file names such as AI.bin, Meta.xml, Sandbox.bin and SaveDescriptor.bin. If you'd like to see the images and files included, just rename the file extension to .zip and double-click. The files are often between 300 KB and 1 MB in size. The keywords AI.bin are typical for these files. Files like these have the following tags: save, auto, turn, nomadic, tribe, seed, egyptians and runde.
3% of all CTR files start with the magic bytes BIGF, which are always the first bytes of this file format. These files contain neither text nor words, but only data. The files are on average 110 MB in size and range from 200 KB to 870 MB. The files contain the following words: BIGF and Data. Some examples of file names are !Contra009Final.ctr or !!!Contra009Final_Patch2.ctr. Such CTR files store data about contra, patch, engvo, music, data and game.

The remaining 22% of all CTR files are files with no common format, the following 10 formats can be found: ChemDraw Template, JPG, JSON, PNG, SQL and NTFS. These files are often connected to tour, faca, aeacabaec, quick, start or turno. If you want to find out what your CTR file contains, drag and drop it onto this page.

Technical Data for CTR File Extension

File classification:

Game

Related files:

ttf, otf, bin, crt, hmap, zip, catalyst, 6zu, ctrt, cmp, cdr, key, counter, big, png, txt, json, html, sqlite, jpg, dat, pdf, sql, sav, mod

Mime type:

application/octet-stream, text/plain

The following listing is compiled from the database produced by the 'Associate This!' program, selected data from the main FILExt database and file extension information submitted by users.

ProgramID: ctrfile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\CambridgeSoft\ChemOffice2005\ChemDraw\ChemDraw.exe /DDE

ProgramID: ctrfile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\CambridgeSoft\ChemOffice2008\ChemDraw\ChemDraw.exe

ProgramID: S7SoftCn.Document
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\SIEMENS\WINAC\WinCP\S7wcpapx.exe

a ctr archive file is a special file format and should only be edited and saved with the appropriate software.

How to solve problems with CTR files

Associate the CTR file extension with the correct application.
Update your software that should actually open archive files. Because only the current version supports the latest CTR file format. Search, therefore, e.g. on the manufacturer website after an available Humankind update.
To make sure that your CTR file is not corrupted or virus-infected, get the file again and scan it with Google's virustotal.com.
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