We did it! We have a new Fratres World!    Fratres 2.0 

Go get the World under the  DOWNLOAD tab

We critically reviewed each and every lot and stripped them of most CC used. We mainly cut back on the MB’s by re-doing most of the interiors, and on the households living in Fratres. We are proud to say that the image of a Steampunk World is still very present!
From a 435MB unzipped World we now have a 204 MB unzipped World.
 
You may miss some of the wonderful custom content that was especially created for Fratres by the finest artists at TSR. Good thing is that you will be able to download all this content there. Go to downloads Sims 3 on TSR and choose the Steampunk theme. There is even more at TSR not listed in the Steampunk theme section, but we are sure you will be able to track them down.

We put a lot of love and energy in saving the 4 main tomb adventures and although it is challenging hard, it IS doable. Even if you get stuck, it is supposed to be hard J

Make sure to drop us a line if you really are stuck and cannot proceed at all. We cannot guarantee that you won’t have any more crashes, unfortunately that is out of our control, but we are confident to say that there’s a way around it if push comes to shove.
 
Please download a NEW Fratres. Please do not put it in a game with the OLD version if you happen to have it. We say goodbye to the old, and welcome the new.
 
Have fun! Share your pictures and your comments and or questions with us on our Facebook site.

We now have all Fratres tombs finished!!! HOORAY for us! Fratres Water Works, Moresheth Luminus, and Moresheth Bridge can be found and downloaded from the Fratres Downloads page.

We feel it necessary to underscore the fact that most low end machines (older or small processors, no or outdated designated graphic cards, etc.) will probably have problems installing or running Fratres. This is due to the extensive amount of custom content. While we apologize for this, it is in the end the nature of this project.

 Some Game Play DOs and DONTs

    Your default mode may tend to see and play this world as you would one of EA’s. Please do not. As user created custom content of all types is vastly different from that of the games, this is no different. Fratres was my first venture into the amazing tool of CAW.  I’ve learned many things about it since starting this project 18 months ago. This is why, for instance, it is an island with no distant terrain and a very small one at that. Fratres is a great fit for an out-of-the-box type of player who does not have the itch to build horse barns, festival stadiums and the like.

    Advantages? Fratres is not just a pretty face. After the obvious visual splash there are
     a number of goodies under the hood for those with the patience and eye to spot    
    them, but I will allow you the luxury of stumbling upon them for yourself.

    Below are a number of practical tips to help you along and maybe avoid a few
    irksome pot holes.

                                                                                                                               Thanks and enjoy! 

• DO be aware that Fratres requires all Expansion Packs up to and including Show Time (IMPORTANT!) Though we did not use any EA store items, we did use some Stuff Pack items. If you do not have these items, the game will substitute similar ones and will not adversely affect game play.

• DO disable all in-game spawners and the lunar cycle (if you have Super Natural). Turn off pets, horses, vampires, witches, fairies, etc.. The world is really small and there is no room for extra pets for instance. Ignoring this one thing will permanently trash your world in a short amount of time (IMPORTANT!)

• DO collect everything the world gives you; butterflies, gems, rocks, metals and insects. These are all vital for tomb play. Walk around to places which you have no practical reason to go to.

• DO be an adventurer. Read all lot and family descriptions and story lines in the blog entry LOT DESCRIPTIONS. Write things down if you want the complete adventure. Don’t let its size deceive you, there are things purposefully scattered about. This world was designed in the spirit of Steampunk, meaning that there are more inner workings to it than what first meets the eye.

• DO get to know all the “Fratresnizers”, as we like to call them. There are some truly out-of-the-ordinary oddities awaiting you.

• DO check out the Steampunk / Fratres Theme on TSR for more clothing and other items.

• DO read the storylines found on the Fratres Story page, especially if you are going on the “Complete Adventure”.

• DO check back often with this News Blog for the upcoming release of the remaining two tombs, Moresheth Luminus followed by Fratres Water Works.
  
  

• DO feel free to bulldoze any and all lots to do your own thing, but keep in mind that most of these lots are not on flat terrain so you will meet some resistance if you are not familiar with CFE. Also, occupational rabbit holes are in several of the community lots. Keep that in mind as you set out to pave paradise.

• DO keep in mind that this world was completed before Super Natural, Seasons  and University were released, hence the absence of any of the objects from those EP's.

• DON’T go to the tombs right away. You will need stuff, and with a new world spawners will take time to spawn. Give it at least one month of sim time.

• DON’T use cheats. It is a fragile world. And although it has been tested, it has its history and you to find out. You might miss important things if you cheat your way to the ultimate goal, it might even result in crashing your  game.

• DON’T give up on them if something is not going the way you want.

ARTISTS and CONTRIBUTERS

GARY: Project originator and coordinator, CAW artist, builder of all main and ancillary tombs except Heillup & Keyes (Estatica), producer of all 4 machinima trailer videos

FREDDIE: Project co-originator, co-coordinator and conceptualizer. Originator of the Steampunk theme, Creator of Sim characters, Builder of several community and residential lots, History & story  writer,  video trailer filming

MARTOELE: The main behind the scenes organizer and general task performer of a multitude things over the entire 18 months of the project

RICCINUMBERS: CC tomb items contributor, Builder of lot #4. Early on conceptualizer and work flow organizer

SPLADOUM: Coordinator of the world file packaging process, Main story writer

SIMMAN123: Early conceptualizer, tomb conceptualizer, CC object contributor of many tomb and world objects

CYCLONESUE: Early conceptualizer and much needed advisor, cc object contributor

 MINRAED: Fratres Page development & promotion

APPLE:  Early CAW development and conceptualizing

MYSTERYJACK:  Sim character development, help with video  trailer filming

******

AGAPI: Accessories creator

ALTEA127: Fashion and body make up creator

ANGELA: Builder, Object creator

BUFFYASUMMER:  Build, Object creator

BUKOVKA: Fashion creator

DEGERA: Builder

DEEIUTZA: Build, Object creator

DEVIN: Object creator

EKINEGE:  Fashion creator

ESTATICA: Tomb builder, Objects creator

FRANCIEN: Builder, Wall deco creator

HARMONIA: Fashion creator

HATSEPSUT: Builder

KRISS: Build object creator

LULU265: Pattern and objects creator, Accessories and body tattoos maker

MADDENPRO: Builder

MINICART: Fashion creator

NIA: Fashion creator

SHINO&KCR: Object creator

SIMROMI: Fashion creator

Lot 1 – Bernewell
Short Way 1

Ashe Bernewell: The original 'hot-headed' sim. A snobby, evil genius, and a hydrophobe like most Fire sims. Ashe is single by force, not choice, and his neighbors fear him. His twin brother Cinderly was his polar opposite and together, they might have lived out their lives on Fratres happily. Unfortunately, Cinderly seems to have disappeared into the Smelter's Crag …

Lot 2 – Sparklewood
Short Way 2

Myrtle, August, Samuel and Chastity Sparklewood: Samuel and Myrtle have a happy marriage, and they are very proud of their son. August is a good student, a good cook, a good athlete, and a good gardener.  Samuel's mother Chastity also lives with the family, and surprisingly, gets along well with her daughter-in-law!

Lot 3 – Pickergill
Short Way 3

Aurora and George Pickergill: George and Aurora mix together seamlessly, even though he's Earth and she's Air. Hopelessly romantic, these two lovebirds stick close together and share affection regularly. Oddly enough, all of that love hasn't produced a child yet, which might be a good thing—Aurora says that she eats children, and no one is quite sure if she's joking yet …

Lot 4 – Lillywhite Stormyweather
Morbus Way 4

Lillywhite Stormyweather, Woolf Woodcock, Arabella Clover, Willoughby Furniss and Guinevere Sprodelwasser: Everyone knows Lillywhite as the town's resident old maid, but very few people know why she never married. Despite her disappointments and losses, Lillywhite is a good-hearted woman who has devoted herself to caring for orphans. She is also an example of the elements living in unity; each one of her children is a different element. They live peaceably now, but will things stay the same as the children grow older?

Lot 5 – Empty
Morbus Way 5

Lot 6 – Aireson
Morbus Way 6

Patsy, Clemence and Gertrud Aireson: People frequently wonder how Patsy and Clemence make it work. Clemence is a snob; Patsy is a humorless social butterfly. Their common ground is their daughter Gertrud, who is a cowardly, mean-spirited, workaholic. The town gossips can hardly wait for this one to grow up!

Lot 7 – Quackenfisch
Morbus Way 7

Dudley and Vincent Quackenfisch: In his youth, Dudley was a courageous and eager adventurer. He has no idea how he managed to have a such a yellow-bellied coward of a son! Dudley's greatest regret was that he never conquered all four of the mysterious tombs in Fratres, and he would be proud to see his son succeed where he failed. But Vincent only seems to be interested in learning yet another new recipe. Will Vincent ever want to follow in his father's footsteps?

Lot 8 – Airy  Room mates
Morbus Way 8

Lofty Hewa and Eyrie Storm: Lofty and Eyrie are sisters in spirits, if not by blood. They're both Air elementals, they have all the same traits, they'd both love to success in show business … why, they even wear their hair exactly the same! Of course, they've heard about the legends of Fratres but they don’t really believe in those old wives' tales. Still, though … they wouldn't mind exploring a tomb or two, just for giggles.

Lot 9 – Empty
Morbus Way 9

Lot 10 – Empty
Morbus Way 10

Lot 11 – Emberlinks
Morbus Way 11

Lilith , Ignatius, Serefina and Electra Emberlink: Ignatius and Serefina are hard-working parents with a pair of twin girls. Ignatius is a firefighter, which many people find rather odd: is he putting fires out, or watching them spread? His wife Serefina is a schoolteacher and a true hydrophobe. She uses her elemental ability to create sculptures. Lilith is a true daddy's girl, for better or worse, and Electra is growing up to be just like mom. But perhaps there is a boy or two in town who can make the twins renounce their pyro-loving ways …

Lot 12 – Deeproots
Lilith Lane 12

Gaia, Forrest and Milo Deeproot: Of these three Earth siblings, Gaia is the most invested in bringing Fratres back to its glory of old. Her brothers, maddeningly enough, seem to have no interest in the "good old days" and are content to live their lives the way things are now. Gaia's heard rumors about a certain resident being the fated one to restore Fratres to its intended state of harmony, but she is positive that she can save her world with science. Can she?

Lot O – The Farms (cemetery)
Lilith Lane 13

Bought a plot, had a crash. Here they lay, bone and ash. They will return no more, nothing more to explore. They mean no harm, just bought the farm.

Lot R – Fra Park
Lilith Lane

Small Park dedicated to Morbus, Gropius, Ansi and Malachi, the founders of our fair little world.

Lot 14 – Shoredish
Short Way 14

Merlin and Marina Shoredish: A recent widower, Merlin Shoredish left a good job to become a full-time father to his daughter Marina. Although this small family is financially well off, perhaps Merlin needs a job to help him cope with his cowardly streak. His daughter Marina is adventurous and brave by comparison, and her father often worries that she may be a bit too much like her late mother.

Lot S – Heillup & Keyes Packing Co. (Criminal Warehouse)
Short Way 15

In the glory days when the lighthouse shone, people from other lands came here to buy or have commissioned the interesting things created by the air artists. Works as fine as these needed to be specially packaged for the trip home or for shipment. Enter the delicate and meticulous services of Cursius Heillup and Axton Keyes. Yet alas when the time of the dissension came and the great dimming occurred the flow of art works and the clientèle simultaneously ceased thereby rendering the business defunct, almost over night. Now it’s a mere shell and haven  for hoodlums and their shady connections. It’s rumored that there may be items unwittingly stashed on the premises that will aide someone in the risky exploration of other buildings considered off limits to the townies.

Lot 16 – Emerholder
Short Way 16

Jackson, Shansty and Hugo Emerholder: Jackson Emerholder has several attractive traits: he’s brave, a great kisser, artistic and a great photographer. Even with all of that going for him, Shansty, is usually more mature than he is! Shansty is also the boss of Hugo. This one should be quite a handful when she gets older … again. Shansty paid a high price for using the time machine at the Malampy Hempel when she was an adult with two children. What is this family’s secret? Will everything be the way it used to be before?

Lot A – The Malampy Hempel
Mallachi Street 1

Once was an off shore rig and an important distribution center in the old days. Everything went through the Hempel before it was shipped ashore. Nowadays it is one of Fratres favorite hang-outs and nothing reminds us anymore of the days long gone... unless it is the Time machine that was too heavy for some reason to move. Not that anyone wanted it anywhere on the mainland. Some people say it still works.

Lot 17 – The Lighthouse – Reedwarbler
Mallachi Street 3

Ezekiel Reedwarbler and his dog Obediah: Ezekiel is a mysterious man … nobody can guess what his element is. There is a rumor that his father was Fire, his mother Water, and his grandparents were elements of Earth and Air. Perhaps his balance keeps him mellow and kind. He respects all, and is respected by all. There is a more intriguing rumor that he fathered a baby with a Genie, but that story has never been confirmed. The town's hermit lives in the dark lighthouse now, with his faithful companion Obediah.

Lot C – The Orpheus (theater)
Mallachi Street 5

Want a movie or a musical? Want a drink before or after? want to jam a little or sing a song? Don't be shy, a night on the town starts here. We do offer all kind of courses too.

Lot B – O. I. Hertnan Healadrome (hospital / spa)
The Promenade

Started by the best duck in the pond, Dr. Olford Irskine Hertnan.  Here you will be in good hands. We have all the latest inventions from the iron lung to seltzer tubs to make you feel spot on inside and out. Check in, check up and check it out.

Lot P – Copper John’s Station House (police station)
Ansi Drive 113

Mind your manners and don’t be a nuisance
Keep your knickers and corsets on
Or in the name of jurisprudence
You’ll spend six months with Copper John

Lot J - Ferrier Pollocks Gym & Aquatics (pool / Gym)
Ansi Drive 115

There is a young fella named Rollocks
Who works for Ferrier Pollocks
He walks on the Strand
With his girl by his hand
and labors no more than he frolics

Lot E - The Daily Disturber - (Office)
Ansi Drive 114

It's amazing that the amount of news that happens in the world every day always just exactly fits the newspaper.

Lot D – Burnham Swimlsey Transferium  (Tomb Connector)
The Promenade 3

This curious little building is the place where, before the time of the dissension, Fratresnizers would be daily transferred en mass via dive wells to Smelters Crag, Fratres Water Works, “and the city of  light”, a.k.a Moresheth Luminus. Under the present state of affairs you really need to think twice about venturing into these abandon environments. If you do make sure you are prepared physically and psychologically.

Lot G – The Ravenous Pig
The Promenade 7

Enjoy homemade food 24/7 at the Ravenous pig. Specials served on Fridays.  Pigs served all other days. You are what you eat. What are you?

Lot F - The Noble Tome Bookstore
Gropius Avenue 51

Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it is too dark too read – Groucho Marx

Lot H - Lutzwaller Municiple Hall (City Hall / School)
Gropius Avenue 52

Named after the famed Jonah Lutzwaller, it houses City Hall and the School for all good looking and above average children.

Lot I – Fighters-R-Us (Fire Station / Military)
Gropius Avenue 53

You light ‘em we fight ‘em. They start it, we finish it.

Lot K - Bricklesworth Dumpstore (Consignment Store)
The Esplanade 99

We have what you want and we want what you have...It’s a symbiotic thing.

Lot L - Waldrup Gismlogical Society (Science Center)
The Esplanade 97

To all of Fratres it was a miracle. To Beach Waldrup it was a simple matter of sink or swim when he and his crew were out on his longboat running some lunar tide experimentations and the great dimming of the lighthouse occurred. There they were in the pitch black, a stiff east wind and no clue where home was. Being a follower of the ancient water arts he coaxed the men into doing something that none of them would talk about the rest of their days, nor would they or anybody have the constitution to take the boat out to sea again. Scuttlebut has it they collectively contorted their bodies into some form of biomechanical gizmoto aligned with a certain constellation. He then interpreted the color aura combinations of their homing enzymes, thus directing them back. Intrigue surrounding the man, the men, and the mystery grew to such a hysteria in subsequent years that  a society was established at the old residence of G. Beauchamp Waldrup.

Lot M - The Cat’s Meat (Grocery store)
Morbus Way 2

All the tender vittles you need from taters to tidbits.



THE TOMBS

Fratres Water Works

Ya know, its just basically that. Sims need running water and  a place to work. The Water Works is the former for all and the latter for many.

Cumulus Fractus

Home of the reclusive entrepreneurial tycoon Ephrahim Lutzwaller who built and ran Smelters Crag. Not satisfied with his business successes nor his lot in life as a son of the water, he became obsessed with the nature of the mechanics of air. The only things  we know of his motives are found in the presence of that flying machine and the name of the mansion… “broken clouds”. Ultimately and sadly the elements must have felt it necessary to step in to put an end to him and his illusive plans. 

Moresheth Luminus

Description:

Smelters Crag

Ephrahim Lutzwaller wanted to embrace any other life other than his ancestral destiny of the water. As a young adult he began to explore ways to extract and use the metals that shimmered from the rocks that fascinated him while fishing with his father off Ferrous Island. Combined with his marketing acumen,  he found numerous ways to transform these raw materials into workable mediums for the air artists. An artist movement was born and this wildly lucrative foundry was built to meet the seemingly ceaseless material demand . However, that was then and now is now as the wheel of destiny spins and turns. There remains here one of the keys to reclaiming a symbol of the former glory for Fratres… a lit lighthouse. Can you find it?