Older News
24 June, 2011 - Team Tathers Totally Awesome Alligator Romp! (unofficial news)
8 May, 2011 - Bonus AP day!
- All active characters have received 25 bonus AP.
16 April, 2011 - Bonus AP day!
- It's been a while since we had some bonus AP, so today all active characters have received 25 bonus AP.
15 April, 2011 - Clan update progress and a reminder (minor update)
- First the reminder - we have a Facebook page at facebook.com/Shartak - feel free to stop by and say Hi, or "Like" Shartak using the button on the front page.
- The clan updates are progressing well and we already have a revamped clan index page (I plan to post a screenshot to our Facebook page shortly). The "new member alert" feature is about half finished. Depending on how things go, the first parts of the clan update might get released before everything else is finished.
10 April, 2011 - The Quest for the Cursed Sceptre (unofficial news)
- A lone figure remains at Santa's hut long after the red clad saint has departed, remaining tight lipped towards his reason. However, passers by have reported that on occasion the Spaniard's guard slips, stories patched together indicate that he utters of a treasure lost, stolen, forgotten by some... most, dare say all.
- Updated the title from 'Quest' to 'The Quest for the Cursed Sceptre'
23 March, 2011 - Noticeboards
- So you can publish quests, bounties and other notices in-game, there are now noticeboards in each camp. To help prevent too many unneccessary messages, each notice costs a small number of gold coins and takes 1AP to post.
- The noticeboards can be found near the shaman to make them easier to locate.
14 March, 2011 - Problems logging in? (minor update)
- If you're having strange problems trying to login where there's no response to say the password is wrong but you also don't get logged in, it's probably caused by a slight change in the way the session cookie is defined.
- A rather drastic solution is to clear all your cookies, but if you'd prefer the easier solution simply visit the cookie fixer to reset your Shartak cookies.
- It will log you out, but will also purge the troublesome cookies in the process. You should then be able to login without any problems.
6 March, 2011 - New tree and bush icons
- Thanks to Kiwimage, we now have some new icons for some of the trees and bushes. If you can't see any tree icons but the text for the location indicates there should be a tree, then you will need to refresh the stylesheet. The simplest way is to hold down CTRL and press F5. You might need to try this a few times. Restarting your browser might work too.
- The original suggestion can be found on the forum at http://forum.shartak.com/index.php/topic,3196.0.html
10 February, 2011 - New Pirate skills
- Pirates now have a couple of new skills to allow them to take advantage of the pistols to be found on the ghost ship.
23 January, 2011 - New Achievements
- They've been around for a week or so, but nothing was publicised. There are a number of new achievements available for hunters - for each of the regular animals roaming the island, 25 kills gets a bronze badge, 100 kills for silver, and 250 for gold.
- Thanks to Bobby the Hatchet for the graphic work on these.
- Giant squid and the python are not included in the list so don't worry, you don't need to kill 250 of these (although if you do, let us know and we might arrange something special!)
- The full range of achievements can be found on the wiki (thanks to Neil Tathers for updating the page)
6 January, 2011 - Extended statistics - privacy option
- As previously mentioned, the extended statistics were added at the beginning of January and following some feedback there is now an option to hide/show the statistics on your profile. It defaults to disabled for ALL characters and accounts so if you wish to display them, they will need to be enabled manually.
- It can be done for all characters in your account (inc retired/hidden ones) using the option in the Account menu at http://www.shartak.com/account.cgi or per character through the character edit profile page at http://www.shartak.com/editprofile.cgi
27 December, 2010 - Statistics to be expanded
- From the 1st January 2011, there will be more statistics being gathered including number of fruit juiced, bottles of alcohol brewed, number of things found through searching, and spirits exorcised.
- These statistics will be added over the next few days, but it is expected that they will all be in place before the new year.
25 December, 2010 - Merry Christmas!
- All characters have received 50 bonus AP. Happy Christmas!
19 December, 2010 - Clarification of the Terms of Use - please read
- As mentioned on the forum just over a week ago, we have realised that some aspects of the Terms of Use needed to be clarified.
- The clarification can be found at this page.
19 December, 2010 - New IRC server - irc.dal.net
- We are now in the process of migrating the main Shartak channel from EFnet to DALnet. To connect to it, simply use irc.dal.net 6667 instead of irc.efnet.org 6667
- The Web IRC page has been changed so if you use that, you will be connecting to DALnet already.
19 December, 2010 - Santa is here!
- If you journey to the Grotto you can see whether Santa thinks you've been naughty or nice and get a gift. How long the unofficial ceasefire in there will last is unknown but everyone is invited to stick around for a party!
- The grotto can be found to the south-east of the mountain at [-70.319,+26.384]
- More information on his annual visit can be found on the wiki
12 December, 2010 - It's the season of giving..
- ..and now you can give multiple items at once (but only up to 10 per click).
- Also added the ability for the item dropdown to remember what you last gave, just for the one click though. If you want to give the same item to several different people, now all you have to do is pick the new recipient each time and the item should be remembered.
11 December, 2010 - Updated contact list functionality
- It is now possible to select a number of contacts from your list and either delete them or change their type to one of friend, neutral or enemy. Choose the operation from the dropdown at the bottom of the contact table.
- As always, please send feedback if you spot a problem!
9 December, 2010 - Bonus AP day! (minor update)
- All active characters have received 25 bonus AP. Happy Thursday (or Friday if you're in timezones several hours ahead of GMT)!
2 December, 2010 - New Facebook page url
30 November, 2010 - Holiday Donation Offer
- Donate during the month of December and get a little extra. For any donations received between 1st December and the end of the year, an extra $1 will be added for every $5 donated, or $3 for every $10.
- Already donated for your own characters? Why not give a gift donation for a friend?
- To do this, simply donate for your own account as normal and then submit feedback and state the amount to be transferred and who to transfer it to. Combine this with the above offer and you could keep the extra for yourself!
15 November, 2010 - Bonus AP day! (minor update)
- All active characters have received 25 bonus AP. Happy Monday (or Tuesday if you're in timezones ahead of GMT)!
14 November, 2010 - Whispering actions
- It is now possible to emote to a single person (similar to whispering, but using /me as well). After much deliberation, the way this is displayed is as follows:
- You type: /me knifes you in the back. (to OtherName)
- You see: OtherName senses YourName knifes you in the back.
- They see: You sense YourName knifes you in the back.
10 November, 2010 - Eerie lights sighted out to sea
- Rumours of eerie lights being sighted out to sea off the northern coast near Durham demand further investigation. One adventurous townsperson returned having seen nothing, although he did report that during the quiet following a storm he thought he heard the firing of pistols carried on the wind. As yet, no word has been received from the other three who went looking.
30 October, 2010 - A day of terror
- After the recent shargle infestation of Raktam, you probably thought things couldn't get any worse. Unfortunately you were wrong. Anyone hunting needs to be extra careful as this is the one day of the year when things just don't want to stay dead!
- And in case you thought that was bad, some of the creatures on the island have figured out that there could be lunch hiding in the buildings and will take the opportunity to slip inside any open doorways to investigate.
11 October, 2010 - Bonus AP day! (minor update)
- All active characters have received 25 bonus AP. Happy Tuesday (or Monday if you're in timezones behind GMT+1)!
18 September, 2010 - Sea dogs be havin' a new skill.
- Ahoy! Thar be a new skill fer sea dogs that lets ye train a parrot t' sit on yer shoulder. Th' parrot will appear in both th' location an' in th' profile. Yarrr!
6 September, 2010 - Bonus AP day! (minor update)
- All active characters have received 25 bonus AP. Happy Monday!
3 September, 2010 - Death Aid 2010 - A WickSick style HeadHunting Competition (unofficial news)
- Starting at the top of the waterfall on Mount Shartak, all Contestants will need to murder 2 victims in each village on the island. Once you've murdered your 16 victims, the first contestant who gets back to the Waterfall will win First Prize.
- More information is on the forum at http://forum.shartak.com/index.php/topic,3002.0.html
22 August, 2010 - Contact list updated
- The contact list is now given in alphabetical order as was suggested on the forum recently. In addition to this, your other characters are automatically added to your contact lists so you can always recognise your own characters. These automatically added contacts do not count towards your contact limit unless you change the details. Note that any characters which are both retired and idle will not be added automatically.
17 August, 2010 - New feature - name checker for character creation
- There's now a Javascript name checker in the character creation wizard which will automatically check if a name is invalid or taken before you press the Finish button.
8 August, 2010 - Bonus AP day! (minor update)
- All active characters have received 25 bonus AP (just because we're nice like that and give away bonus AP from time to time).
28 July, 2010 - Peninsula Federation contest (unofficial news)
- Just a reminder that the Peninsula Federation will be holding a three day gladiatorial contest starting this Friday night/Saturday morning in Derby. Please head over to the gladiatorial arena by 31st July 2010 00:00 GMT/UTC
- Other timezones:
30th July 2010 20:00 EDT
31st July 2010 09:00 Asia/Tokyo
31st July 2010 03:00 Europe/Helsinki
- See this forum thread for more information
26 July, 2010 - Beast threatens Dalpok?
- In Dalpok a native hunter has emerged from the jungle screaming of a horrific monster that ate his fellow hunters. Despite being somewhat sedated with a large number of alcoholic drinks, he continued to rant about it for several hours to anyone who would listen.
25 July, 2010 - Fast-switch bar update
- After many positive comments regarding the fast-switch bar, it has now been added to all accounts with donated-for characters. You will still need to enable the bar within your account settings page since it's not enabled by default.
- If for any reason you have a donated-for character but cannot see the option to enable the fast-switch bar, please contact us.
22 July, 2010 - New feature - fast-switch bar
- Any account with at least one donated-for character can now have access to the latest feature - a fast-switch bar. This provides a quick way to switch between multiple characters and can be turned on/off from within the account settings page. A screenshot is shown below.
- Please note that at present this is not globally available and must be requested (use the feedback page). Once more feedback has been received, it will be enabled for any account with a donated character.
16 July, 2010 - Squid watch: Western Islets
- A fisherman has reported seeing a giant squid to the north of the first Western Islet (known to some as Rodrigo Island). Naturally, he headed straight back to the safety of the beach and reported the sighting to a Kraken Hunter found in a bar in Durham.
13 July, 2010 - CafePress Shartak shop update
- As previously announced, the premium Shartak Shop has been closed. However, it's been recreated as a basic shop (free to run, but only one product from each category allowed) and currently has the Giant Squid image on a range of items.
- We'll be updating the image used from time to time - if there's a particular one you'd like to see next, please let us know using the Feedback page.
10 June, 2010 - CafePress Shartak shop to close
- Due to lack of interest, we will be closing the Shartak shop within the next few weeks. If you want to get a Shartak t-shirt, etc then you'd best get over to the Shartak shop soon!
5 May, 2010 - Achievement graphic contest - last few days
- Just a quick reminder that the contest to design a graphic for the Old One achievement is nearly over. The closing date is this Friday (although I'll probably accept anything up until early Saturday morning UK time).
- In case you missed them, the contest details are at http://forum.shartak.com/index.php/topic,2792.0.html
5 May, 2010 - Wiki updates
- As discussed on the forum in this thread, people have been busy updating the Shartak wiki with all the latest changes and enhancing the existing content.
- There are still things that need updating - either sign up for a wiki account and make the changes yourself or post suggestions or content on the forum for someone else to action.
16 April, 2010 - New feature and Contest: Achievements
- As visible on some profiles, there are now achievements to be gained. You can configure up to 5 of these to be shown on your profile page using the Edit Achievements button from the Edit Settings page. The first of these is Easter 2010 which was gained by anyone active on Easter Sunday, 2010.
- Additional achievements will be added over the coming months - for example, the "Old One" achievement to be gained by anyone who was active in Shartak v1.
- The contest details are at http://forum.shartak.com/index.php/topic,2792.0.html
3 April, 2010 - Easter Bunnies
- The Easter Bunnies have returned and are leaving eggs lying around the island for people to find. Traditionally they are cute and cuddly, but on Shartak the rules change. They're wild animals and as such should be approached with caution.
11 March, 2010 - Contest: Rakmogak Raiding Party '10 (unofficial news)
- Join the Pirate High Command in a contest to kill as many cannibals as possible between the Ides of March (15 March) and 30 March. The prize for the winner is a one-of-a-kind iron harpoon. Please see the pirate board on the Shartak forum for details.
3 March, 2010 - BBCode help added
- The BBCode help promised a few days ago has now been added at http://www.shartak.com/bbcode.html - there is a link to this from each of the sections where you can use it.
1 March, 2010 - Character description, Clan description and Clan news enhanced
- It is now possible to use BBCode in your character description and in the Clan description and news sections. This allows for simple style changes such as [b]Bold[/b] or [u]Underline[/u], and also links [url]http://www.shartak.com/[/url].
- Some help will be added to the Edit Settings and Edit Clan pages soon detailing the tags that can be used.
- If you have used HTML in your clan page, you will need to edit it and replace it with BBCode as the HTML will no longer be displayed properly.
17 February, 2010 - Campfires implemented, but be careful!
- As a number of people have discovered by now (see the forum thread about Campfires) it is possible to create tinder and use this to light campfires in certain locations. However, it only takes a spark to cause the fire to burn out of control and some places burn better than others!
- Durham, now the hottest place to be, is in need of a steady supply of water and firefighters!
- Any feature votes for campfires will be removed so don't forget to check the Features page to vote for something new if that was what you voted for.
4 February, 2010 - New features to vote for
- A few new feature suggestions have been added to the list of features to vote for at http://www.shartak.com/features.cgi. If you've donated for a character, login as that character and visit the features page to apply the votes to a feature. At present you have to apply votes from each character independently. Each $5 donated is worth 1 vote.
- Current favourites are Hut Construction and Campfires.
18 January, 2010 - Feature added: Agriculture
- As the top feature that is voted for has been Agriculture for a while now, it has been added. You can grow trees and bushes in various places, and obtain seeds from fruit. Anyone who voted for agriculture has had their vote reset and can now vote for something else.
- Nominations for new features to add to the list can be found at http://forum.shartak.com/index.php/topic,2576.0.html
20 December, 2009 - Special Holiday Offer
- Donate before New Year and get a little extra. For any donations received before the end of this year, an extra $1 will be added for every $5 donated, or $3 for every $10.
- Already donated for your own characters? Why not give a gift donation for a friend?
- To do this, simply donate for your own account as normal and then submit feedback and state the amount to be transferred and who to transfer it to. Combine this with the above offer and you could keep the extra for yourself! :)
6 December, 2009 - New alert preference and new skill added
- As requested, the alert for when you have enough XP for a new skill now has a preference to allow experienced players to turn it off if they wish. To do this, simply go to the Edit Account Settings page and uncheck the appropriate option.
- Several players have already noticed that there is a new skill available for Scientists, Villagers and Settlers - this skill is Brewing. Note that everyone can attempt to brew their own alcohol even without the skill.
24 November, 2009 - New alert added
- Also posted at twitter.com/shartak - A new alert has been added when you get enough XP for your next skill.
19 November, 2009 - v2 phase 1 launched!
- After several months of digging around in the Shartak code again, we're pleased to announce the release of Shartak v2. This is phase 1 - there will be additional changes in the months to come.
- The database has been reset to how it was on August 9th - there will be no more major resets.
- Statistic pages for v1 will be generated from the final backup of the database at some point soon. Please feel free to suggest information that should be preserved and have your say in the forum thread at http://forum.shartak.com/index.php/topic,2443.0.html
- NEW: Character logins have now been replaced with Account logins. You have a single account login which will let you access any of your characters. There are no individual character logins now - however, if you had a character before the 9th August 2009, you can associate your old character to your new account.
- NEW: The Terms of Use have been amended - there is now a minimum of age of 13 years for players.
- NEW: The tutorial has been extended.
- You may notice that the portals to Sacred Space are no longer allowing entry and those who were there have been returned to their homes. Why this has happened and when the portals will reopen remains a mystery.
30 October, 2009 - Last chance for v1 zombie stats
- As seems to be common for this time of year, the animals won't stay dead so you'll need to be careful!
- A number of people have suggested that the statistics from Shartak v1 be kept as a fixed page once the new version is ready - if this is done, today will be your last chance to gain zombified animal stats.
19 August, 2009 - Follow Shartak on Twitter
12 August, 2009 - The future of Shartak
- Overcome with twisted and unscrupulous evildoers, murderous broods and strongholds of sin and corruption, the people of Shartak were suffering. Rather than see his people suffer even longer the Creator of Shartak decided the only thing to be done was to let the island sink into the sea.
However... a few concerned souls gathered together and cried out to their Creator to not let them perish for they were without sin or were repentant of their sins and knew that there was still much of the island worth saving.
The Creator listened to the outcries of his people and granted them reprieve to remain on their beloved island so long as they agreed to some new terms of use.
He then made changes to the island including some that would help the people to govern themselves in the hope that the island of Shartak would once again grow and prosper.
- As some of you may have heard the rumours are true. The end is nigh for Shartak as we now know it.
- Due to increasing demands on my time and the amount of time that it was taking to administer the game, I realised that the only option would be to close Shartak and this was announced recently through unofficial channels.
At the time of this announcement I saw no other way to keep Shartak going. However, after speaking with people about possible solutions my wife Lori and I have now decided that it would be worth spending time to implement some changes and to relaunch Shartak with these changes in place.
- As these solutions may take a while to implement, the game as it is now will remain available for the forseeable future until the new version is ready. Any changes made since August 9th 16:26 will not necessarily be ported across after the relaunch. Character information from before this date will be kept so you can choose to port over any characters that you wish to remain active or you can create someone new!
- This database freeze means that you can utilise any stored XP or bonus AP to fulfill your apocalyptic dreams before the Shartak re-launch.
- The forum and wiki will remain active throughout any downtime of the game itself. More information and updates will be posted on the forum at http://forum.shartak.com/index.php/topic,2391.0.html
18 June, 2009 - Shartak Merchandise Review
30 May, 2009 - Update to the XP Gain messages
- In response to some feedback on IRC, I've made the new XP Gain messages something that can be turned on or off on a per-character basis. Simply go to the Edit Profile/Settings page and use the checkbox next to "Show messages when you gain XP" to toggle whether you see them.
30 May, 2009 - Zerging punishment increased
- Despite the ancestors cursing certain players almost daily (and you know who you are), this unacceptable behaviour is continuing so the punishment for repeated zerging has been increased.
- Anyone caught zerging repeatedly will be effectively paralysed for approximately half a day at every subsequent offence by having a significant amount of AP removed even if it pushes you into negative AP.
30 May, 2009 - Minor updates
- A few minor updates have been made. Feel free to let us know what you think of them by posting on the Forum.
- More notification messages when you gain XP have been added.
- "Go Down" and "Leave" have been swapped around when you're going up from the tunnels so that you're more likely to just leave the cave rather than go back down if you click too many times.
- When you run out of IP hits, a message has been added to let you know how long until the IP hit counter resets.
- The tutorial message for finding a machete updated to mention that they can break so you might want to get another one.
- When a home shaman is dead or badly injured, the message now suggests that you might want to contact a roaming shaman instead of waiting.
25 May, 2009 - V - VickSick Photo Contest (unofficial news)
- The contest ends on 9th of June. The prize is still secret, but we can reveal that it will be a one-time custom object! Check the rules and post your screenshots in the forum thread.
17 May, 2009 - Character Profile Videos
- Those characters who have $10 or more donated for them can now add an embedded YouTube video to their profile page. Simply go to the Edit Profile page and you should see an extra option underneath the Character Image URL.
- Inappropriate videos will be removed from your profile as per the Terms of Use!
11 May, 2009 - The revenge of Tom Failur (unofficial news)
- Tom Failur, known by many, but not all, on the island for years now. However, not all those who have met him have agreed with him, some have been downright mean. So he's asking for you, yes you, to help him out. And he's willing to pay for it as well, 3 heavy swords to be precise. So if you think you've got what it takes, or even if you don't but you fancy helping out anyway, then sign up at http://forum.shartak.com/index.php/topic,2232.0.html
3 April, 2009 - The King of York's War (unofficial news)
- Keiichi claims kingship over York and its dominions, and this war is designed to put him on the throne of York as well as destroy York's current extremist government. This is the latest claim in a long series of efforts to rule over York. The Pirate High Command is sympathetic to King Keiichi of York's claim, and urges all pirates, mercenaries, rogues and villains from outsider encampments, as well as our noble native and cannibal adversaries, to participate in the war to liberate York and install its new monarchy.
- The contest begins at 00:00:00 GMT on 1 April 2009 and finishes at 23:59:59 GMT on 30 April 2009. See http://forum.shartak.com/index.php/topic,2147.0.html for the latest scores and information.
2 April, 2009 - The York Triple Crown (unofficial news)
- York has been threatened with war by proxy on all sides. The anarchist Keiichi has threatened the state of York with a coup consisting of traitorous outsiders and the pernicious forces of the Pirate High Command, led by the infamous anti-York marauder FirstAmongstDaves. The false pagan goddess Blue Hummingbird has also encouraged her bloody and battered nation to take part in the invasion, offering paltry gifts to those who would risk neck and limb for the sake of wanton massacre.
- This affront to civilisation cannot go unpunished, hence the Greater Shartak Unification Coalition and similar pro-York forces have formulated a fitting counter to the native-pirate threat, with an island-wide call to arms for those who wish to preserve the outsider culture.
- The tri-athletic competition begins at 00:00:00 GMT on 1 April 2009 and finishes at 23:59:59 GMT on 15 May 2009. The event consists of three contests which last for 15 days each. For the latest scores and roster, see http://forum.shartak.com/index.php/topic,2159.0.html
1 April, 2009 - No honour among thieves (or kidnappers) (unofficial news)
- Anthor's kidnapper has been bragging about the whole affair to someone who really couldn't be trusted to keep a secret. He let slip that Anthor is being held at [-70.581,+26.430]
19 March, 2009 - The Kidnapping of Anthor (unofficial news)
- Newsflash - At 10am this morning, Anthor, Avatar & Leader of the Kingdom of Skulls was kidnapped from a hut in Raktam. Both of the warriors with him at the time were executed in what can only be described as the actions of a psychopath. Other than the bodies of the two warriors, and the bloody remains of a scuffle, all that was left behind was a note written in blood.
- See http://forum.shartak.com/index.php/topic,2128.0.html for the latest information.
17 March, 2009 - Shartak t-shirts - FREE shipping today only!
- Don't forget that there are several designs for the Shartak t-shirts (and other merchandise) to be found at the Cafepress Shartak Store. For today only (Tuesday March 17th in the PST / GMT-8 timezone) there's free shipping* when you order $50 or more. Terms and conditions apply of course.
- Promotion code: FEMPAT3
- Don't forget to check out the Shartak Shop page for other products and offers that help support Shartak.
- *Free Economy or Standard shipping for CafePress.com purchases of $50 or more, excluding shipping charges and applicable sales tax. Delivery address must be within the United States and cannot be a PO Box. All orders will be Economy shipping unless the order is not eligible for Economy shipping (e.g., order exceeds Economy weight restrictions). Coupon code must be entered at check out. Promotion starts on Tuesday, March 17, 2009, at 12:00 a.m. (PST) and ends on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. (PST). Cannot be combined with any other CafePress.com coupons or promotions and this offer may change, be modified or cancelled at anytime without notice.
17 March, 2009 - Shartak development suspended
- Due to an imminent increase in the size of my family it is unlikely that there will be any more development on Shartak in the near future. I will also be a lot more hands-off on the day-to-day running of things so if you have questions or problems, please use the forum first and maybe someone else can help.
4 March, 2009 - Legends of the Fallen: Deadline extended (unofficial news)
23 February, 2009 - West Shartak Ministry of Justice Election mk I (unofficial news)
- Durham's government, the West Shartak Ministries, is holding an election for its Ministry of Justice and a referendum.
- The positions available in this election are Chief Arbiter, Minister of Justice, Sheriff, and five Magistrates. Those appointed are not counted as incumbents and may run.
- Everyone, regardless of origin, is welcome to register for candidacy in http://forum.shartak.com/index.php/topic,2050.0.html and for voting in http://forum.shartak.com/index.php/topic,2051.0.html or in game.
- Anyone may contribute to the discussion of the referendum in http://forum.shartak.com/index.php/topic,2075.0.html
5 February, 2009 - Trials of the Skygods (unofficial news)
- SofaKing, King of the Royal Court of Greater Raktam, is looking for a successor. Applicants must undergo the Trials of the Skygods, a month-long test stretching to all four corners of the island.
- Participants will find their mettle tested as they undergo examinations requiring martial prowess, diplomacy and more.
- Interested parties should contact SofaKing in-game or post in this thread: http://forum.shartak.com/index.php/topic,1231.0.html
2 February, 2009 - A new writing contest: Legends of the Fallen (unofficial news)
- The new contest is the first of what will become an annual occurrence seeking to create and maintain the collaborative mythology of Shartak by honoring famous characters and departed players. Current prizes include original artwork by the contest's creator, and further prizes may be added later. Anyone interested in writing or reading about Shartak's historical heroes and villains, or in contributing to the prize pool should go to this thread on the forum: http://forum.shartak.com/index.php/topic,2021.0.html
27 January, 2009 - The spirits of the ancestors reveal their temple
- The spirits of the ancestors have seen how badly violence is affecting the island. Their descendents fight themselves, as well as the outsider menace, causing island-wide chaos. They have decided to reveal the way to their ancient temple location and offer a safe haven for those who wish to flee the conflict.
- The sacred space will not allow violent souls to enter or leave without paying a price and the ancestors will protect all those who reside there.
24 January, 2009 - Updates to contact and waypoint functions (minor update)
- Contacts now have added and updated dates stored so you can tell when you added a contact. Please note that dates are not added for existing contacts until you update them.
- A similar feature that was requested on IRC has also been added - in addition to the notes, waypoint names can also be edited.
18 January, 2009 - The Moderately Prodigious Treasure of Fester Shinetop (unofficial news)
30 December, 2008 - Peaceful intentions flag now available
- Since some people don't check profiles and just kill indiscriminately, there is now a flag that can be set through your profile and settings page which will alert attackers to your peaceful intentions. It does not prevent you from being killed, but your attacker will be unable to set themselves as peaceful for at least a week. If you are flagged as peaceful and attack another player, a trader or shaman, the flag will be removed.
30 December, 2008 - New pirate skill - Lead Belly
- Some of the more experienced pirates have drunk so much that they've acquired a "lead belly" which makes them immune to the damaging effects of fungi juice.
17 December, 2008 - Santa is here! (Updated)
- Once again it's the time of year when both natives and outsiders gather in the Grotto to see if they're lucky enough to get a gift from Santa. Whether peace in the hut will last long is anyone's guess but it may not be wise to hang around too long in there!
- The grotto can be found to the south-east of the mountain at [-70.319,+26.384]
- More information on his annual visit can be found on the wiki
8 December, 2008 - Battle of the Waterfall (unofficial news)
- With natives seeing images of the skygods dancing in the shimmering foam, and outsiders claiming the waterfall’s torrent could fuel a daguerreotype plate photographic machine, the waterfall has become a venue for the latest real-time battle on Saturday 13 December 2008. The battle starts at GMT midnight.
- There is a prize of 5000 gold coins - collectable from the event sponsor, Port Breton Casino Royale - to the person who kills the most other participants within the hour in the waterfall or its immediate surrounds, as well as naming rights to the waterfall (one outcome of the last real-time battle was the naming of Archer’s Pool near the shipwreck, after Archer, who killed three other characters in the battle).
- There is an armistice for two days before the battle so that, in the spirit of OOC good sportsmanship, those who want to participate can do so - the more players involved the merrier. Besides, you can resolve any grudges in the battle - real time is the best place for it.
- For more information see http://forum.shartak.com/index.php/topic,1747.0.html
- For the location of the waterfall, see http://www.itechsc.com/misc/shartak/ubermap/mapposgen.php?cx=-70351&cy=26429
- For what GMT midnight is to make sure you are there at the right time and date, try http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html
3 December, 2008 - Shartak merchandise
- The long awaited t-shirts and other products are finally available to purchase. We've also managed to secure a special offer with Ash's Squids (custom handmade squid plushes) exclusively for Shartak players. For more information please visit the Shartak Shop page.
- Even if you're not planning to purchase Shartak merchandise, you can still help to support Shartak if you click through the affiliate links on the shop page before making a purchase or signing up at one of the shops listed there.
27 November, 2008 - Wiksik Throne Room unsealed (unofficial news)
- After a long ceremony performed by Etherdrifter, Anthor and SillyLilyPily on Tuesday night, the throne room in Wiksik has been unsealed. The record of the event can be found on the forum.
23 November, 2008 - Whispers of trouble
- The ability to whisper to someone in the same location as yourself has been added. You can only whisper normal speech, using /me to a specific person will result in an error message. Whispering to an individual should also be possible while you are a spirit, however it is not possible to possess someone and make them whisper.
- On a rather more disappointing note, it has come to my attention that Durham is currently the source of quite a few alts created for the sole purpose of griefing specific clans or individuals. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. Consequently, I have disabled several characters and Durham is now under lockdown. No new characters will be permitted there and any confirmed cases of zerging or griefing are liable to find their accounts terminated.
24 October, 2008 - Fungi found in tunnels
- Some of the more intrepid explorers of the tunnels have noted that fungi can be found in some locations. A couple of specimens were purchased by the Tamdal in Rakmogak just the other day but the full extent of their effects are still being investigated by the curious.
19 September, 2008 - International Talk Like A Pirate Day and a new scientist skill
- The strange affliction that causes everyone to talk like a pirate for a day has returned once again. The scientists on the island are at a loss as to what causes this behaviour but...
- ...some of them have figured out how to heal bleeding wounds and negate some effects of poison with the minimum of supplies.
13 September, 2008 - New feature - Event History
- A new feature has been introduced to Shartak in the form of the Event History. The event history, available to those who have upgraded their free accounts, is an invaluable tool for those who like to indulge in roleplaying. It will record all events that a character performs or witnesses, eliminating unnecessary cut-and-paste work for saving actions. It also puts an end to the frustration that occurs when you accidentally click a button and consequently miss an on-screen message.
- More details can be found on the donation page and Event History page.
31 August, 2008 - Giving items interface update (minor update)
- By popular demand the person you are giving things to is now remembered. This means that you only have to choose what item to give and not who to give it to as well.
29 August, 2008 - Derby Evening Press - Issue 17 (unofficial news)
25 August, 2008 - Derby Evening Press - Special issue 1 (unofficial news)
24 August, 2008 - Durham Elections (unofficial news)
22 August, 2008 - Shartak Links Open Golf Championship 2008 (unofficial news)
- The infamous Wicksick Headhunters are proud to announce the first annual Wicksick golf competition. Starting and finishing at the Tower of Death on ever-beautiful Wicksick Island, the competition will run from 1st September to 19th September 2008. Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 competitors in this headhunting contest. Players can find out more info at, and register on, the official Shartak forum at http://forum.shartak.com/index.php?topic=1494.0
16 August, 2008 - Shartak Map Overlay update
- Version 0.3 of the Shartak Map Overlay script has been released. If you use it, you should go and update.
- We are aware that it won't completely fix the overlay being in the wrong place but this is being looked into.
14 August, 2008 - The legend of Rakmogak
- It seems the rumours of a group of natives with a taste for human flesh were probably true after all. Many decades ago in what was a welcome but mysterious disappearance, all those suspected of this forbidden practice vanished from their camps overnight.
- Very little information is known about what happened as most of those who were alive back then have since joined the ancestors, and the few that remain refuse to speak of it. All we know is garbled nonsense from a few horribly disfigured madmen, babblings of a mysterious settlement and their companions being torn apart by those living there.
- Recently there have been some
foolish adventurous souls collecting stories and information about this strange and dangerous place known as Rakmogak and it's surrounding area. Unfortunately the information is still very much incomplete as very few make it back alive.
- Please note that unlike the introduction of pirates, there will be no class changes this time.
10 August, 2008 - Server move completed
- The server move was completed about 1pm GMT today. We had some downtime as was expected, but overall things went relatively well. If you spot any problems, particularly things that result in a server hiccupped message, please let me know!
5 August, 2008 - Probable downtime
- As some people may already know, I am in the process of setting up a new server and this week hope to be moving Shartak over to it. This means that there will most likely be some downtime although I will obviously try to keep it to a minimum through various means.
- For those who want the details, the new server will be a 2.33GHz Dual Core Xeon, 4GB RAM, dual 160GB disks mirrored. For those who don't, just pretend you didn't read that last sentence.
- The IP addresses of all sites within the shartak.com domain will be changing so if you have them stored somewhere, you will need to update them after the downtime.
28 July, 2008 - Java IRC client now available (minor update)
- There's now a Shartak Java IRC client available on the IRC Client page. As long as you have Java installed on your computer, you can stop by and say hi to everyone on #Shartak without needing to install or setup a proper IRC client.
14 July, 2008 - Bastille Day Celebrations (update) (unofficial news)
11 July, 2008 - Bastille Day Celebrations (unofficial news)
- Bastille Day is on 14 July, and the ruins NNW of Derby at [-70.111,+26.378], now called Port Breton and occupied by the French, are having a celebration. Baron Robert Surcouf has organised a competition: Attend Port Breton and give a revolutionary speech on the day, and the best speech wins a heavy sword.
24 June, 2008 - Shartak Fiction and Artwork
- Project IVoS is well underway at http://wiki.shartak.com/index.php/Project_IVoS and has plenty of short stories and other Shartak fiction ready to read. If you feel like submitting a short story the details are on the wiki.
- If you're a regular visitor to the forum (and if not, why not?) you may have noticed that a new board appeared at the bottom of the In Character section called Shartak Fiction / Art. Feel free to post your short stories and Shartak related artwork in there.
21 June, 2008 - Grand Combat! (unofficial news)
- An ancient and grim Shartak ritual, the Grand Combat, is to be held by the light of the full moon on GMT midnight (1am BST), Saturday 28 June 2008 at Unity Island (GPS [-70.568,+26.416]). A heavy sword will be presented to the person who can kill the most other players on the island within a 48 hour period. A truce is in force on the island and its surrounds until the start time. Best of luck to the participants: for more information see http://forum.shartak.com/index.php?topic=1298.0
11 June, 2008 - Derby Evening Press 16 (unofficial news)
16 May, 2008 - Secrets of Headhunting revealed!
- It seems that the notorious Wicksick Headhunters have begun to share their special skills with select natives experienced in the arts of hand-to-hand combat. The natives are learning how to efficiently remove the heads of their foes and prepare them as trophies for display.
15 May, 2008 - Updated Profile Search
- The profile search page has been updated to include partial matches if the name you search for isn't found. You can also use a specific address of http://www.shartak.com/profile.cgi?id=search instead of putting in an unknown name or id.
- There is also a link to the profile search page at the bottom of the normal profile page of an actual character.
25 April, 2008 - New character problems
- Due to a strange error (which has been fixed), a few new characters will have found themselves dropped into the middle of Dalpok regardless of their home camp. This has now been resolved and you have been sent back to your home camp. Apologies if this confused anyone in Dalpok with a sudden influx of level 0 outsiders or any of the new players by not allowing them to complete the tutorial.
- Update - whilst fixing the broken characters, I inadvertently broke ALL the characters temporarily. Restoring selective fields from a backup has meant that although your location has been rolled back up to 16 hours, your XP, health etc hasn't been. Sorry!
23 April, 2008 - Extra preference
- In addition to the 'Log kills on the Shartak Underworld' preference, there is now a preference to log your deaths as well. If you wish to enable this, simply click the Settings button under the map (or the link in this news item).
- Logging of a death/kill will occur when either the victim has deaths logged or the killer has kills logged.
13 April, 2008 - Change to Triage skill
- Triage now shows you the most wounded person, not necessarily the person with the lowest HP.
25 March, 2008 - Mornington Crescent game (unofficial news)
- A game of Mornington Crescent (Shartak Edition) is currently underway on the official forum. If you want to take part, you'll need to signup on the forum however you can read the game so far without needing to register.
22 March, 2008 - Easter Bunnies
- The Easter Bunnies are back once more and just like last year they've actually been nice and left eggs around the island for people to find. You just don't want to meet one of them alone in the jungle.
21 March, 2008 - Clan Communication added
- There is now a 'clan news' section when clan founders are editing their clan details. This is only shown to members of the clan and any updates made to that section will result in a link at the top of the updated page that allows the news to be announced in a similar manner to normal game news.
- Any clan founders repeatedly abusing the announce feature and spamming the clan members will have that functionality removed from them.
11 March, 2008 - Debate and Elections in Durham (unofficial news)
- There is a debate on Wednesday 12th March at the Durham Utility Bank [-70.650,+26.346]. The election is this weekend at the shaman in Durham.
- Edward Grey will moderate the debate, and Charles Cavendish will count the priority ballots.
26 February, 2008 - What was the final blow?
- Everyone now sees what you used to deliver the killing blow when you kill someone or something. The person being attacked can also see what you're using for the other attacks.
14 February, 2008 - Contest: The Amazingly Great Shartak Race (unofficial news)
- This contest will be held at the beginning of March. More information can be found at the forum in this thread.
8 February, 2008 - Contest: Spring X-Game I (unofficial news)
- This contest will be held at the beginning of April. More information can be found at the forum in this thread.
21 January, 2008 - New shorter referral url!
- The refer-a-friend address has been shortened. Instead of http://www.shartak.com/f.cgi?id=XX you can now just use http://www.shartak.com/XX (or even just shartak.com/XX if you really need it short!)
- For more information, see the referral page.
17 January, 2008 - Emotes now available
- As per the recent discussion on the forum, emotes have been added. To use them, simply enter into the Speak text box "/me waves." where the action to perform is after the /me - the example given will show to everyone Yourname waves.
7 January, 2008 - DEP 13 - Derby moves forward and Durham gets interesting (unofficial news)
3 January, 2008 - Newsletter - December 2007
- A summary of Shartak events this year can be found in this newsletter. The newsletter was also emailed out to anyone who had entered their email address (this is an opt-out list, you simply need to update your preferences).
23 December, 2007 - Giving items other than gold coins
- Just over a week ago, the ability to vote for the next feature to be added was introduced. As most people voted for being able to give items other than gold coins, that's what has been added next! Just in time for Christmas so now you can give each other exciting presents such as empty bottles, blunt knives, etc.
- Votes for this feature will be removed over the next few days and the Feature Vote page will be updated.
18 December, 2007 - Santa is here!
- It's the time of year once again where everyone congregates in Santa's grotto and asks him for presents. There's certainly a crowd there but the peace in there is almost certainly temporary and it's only a matter of time before things erupt!
18 December, 2007 - Want a say in what should be added next?
- As has been mentioned on the forum already, there is now a new page where those who have donated can vote on what they think should be implemented next. The feature page can be found at http://www.shartak.com/features.cgi
15 December, 2007 - From the IRC Tweaks Department (minor update)
- Following a short discussion on IRC, a small tweak has been implemented such that when you add a new contact the contacts page should show the "Add Contact" form at the bottom together with the last contact you added.
11 December, 2007 - Happy Holidays!
- As a gift to everyone, there's an extra 25AP for everyone who uses their AP each day in the run up to the end of the year!
- Santa is looking forward to his visit to the grotto on Shartak once again. He's fed up with all the snow and ice and wants the chance to work on his tan! In case you missed him last year, the grotto is the single hut in the area south of the mountain. You'd better make sure you're on his nice list though!
30 November, 2007 - GPS units losing their charge
- After being on the island for a year, some of the GPS units are starting to lose their charge and to keep demand for them high, the traders and tamdals have decided to keep the chargers to themselves.
- Fortunately you can now turn off spare GPS units (just click on the GPS unit in the inventory) and they'll keep their charge until you turn them back on (click on the switched off GPS unit).
- A fully charged GPS unit should last about 50 days but if you keep turning it on and off, the battery will last a lot less.
7 November, 2007 - Terms of Use
- The Shartak Terms of Use have been added. They're basically common sense things and shouldn't change anything about the way you play Shartak unless you're exceptionally offensive. Very shortly, you will be required to agree to them before continuing to play Shartak - hopefully you'll tick the box and stay with us.
- In short, here are the terms of use
- limited to the wiki, forum and game itself
- offensive behaviour is bad
- ideas you submit may be used to improve Shartak
- you can control which personal details (if any) are shown
- features/bugs don't have to be fixed but probably will be
- Please do take a few minutes to read the Terms of Use and as always if you have any comments or concerns please don't hesitate to contact us.
6 November, 2007 - Derby Evening Press: Issue 12 (unofficial news)
4 November, 2007 - Eastern Federation/Derby forum has moved (unofficial news)
- The official move of the Eastern Federation forum has taken place. The old site was http://derby.jconserv.net/ and should not be used any more.
- Most of the active members know of the move, but there are still members/allies that rarely check in on the forums
- Here's the address of the new forum: http://z3.invisionfree.com/Derby/
20 October, 2007 - Minor adjustment to Triage skills
- After a very brief discussion on IRC, the Triage or Advanced Triage skills now allow you to see the HP of people you recognise even if you're an outsider and they're a native (or vice versa).
17 October, 2007 - New Shaman skills
- It seems that not all shaman are at peace with the spirit world and some of the more advanced have learned how to summon nearby spirits and torment them. Tormented spirits, if powerful enough, will shriek or wail when the shaman chants.
14 October, 2007 - Shartak Underworld integration
- There's now a quick link to the edit profile page underneath the map titled 'Settings' - hopefully more people will add descriptions and pictures. On the edit profile page, you can also update settings such as your email address, and various options that change the appearance of the user interface.
- A number of players already use the Shartak Underworld to log their kills. There's now an option under the edit profile page to attempt to automatically log the kill. Any kill will be logged and you'll get a message saying either successful or failed. No message means no log and you should log the kill in the normal manner.
8 October, 2007 - Dalpok v. pirates real time battle
- Never has there been a more bloody and contested stretch of land than Corsair Boulevard, the road running between the shipwreck and the native village of Dalpok. Pirates have claimed Dalpok (or "New Amsterdam" as they call it) as their second residence on the island, and the people of Dalpok and their allies are determined to settle the score with the assembled forces of the pirates in a real time battle to be held this Saturday GMT midnight 13 October 2007 at the pool at the source of the northern river. If the last real time battle was any indication, the action will be brutal with the pirates keen to avenge their previous loss to Raktam. All players are encouraged to participate. For more information (including info on prizes for participants) click on this link: http://forum.shartak.com/index.php?topic=687.msg20340
8 October, 2007 - Contact Shaman modification
- When contacting a shaman, either roaming or at home, your AP can now go negative. The act of standing up afterwards now takes between 1 and 6AP depending how many belongings you have to gather up. 1AP to stand, and 1AP per 20 items that you have to gather. Standing also requires that you have positive AP the same as the old contact a shaman option used to.
18 September, 2007 - International Talk Like A Pirate Day
- It seems strange how the same infection that caused everyone to start talking like a pirate last year appears to have returned. Maybe it mutated sufficiently in the last year that it's been able to return, or maybe it's something new. Either way, something has made everyone start talking like a pirate (again!)
15 September, 2007 - Upcoming elections in Durham (unofficial news)
- All Durhamites above level 2 are eligible to vote.
- The election will be held at the Shaman, Kadmor
- The elections will begin on Sep 16 PST, and will end on Sep 19, to allow everyone a chance to vote.
- The candidates are Tomn, Matt Wilkinson, and Ron Burgundy.
- The votes will be counted by Hideo Inakajimita.
- More information can be found at http://forum.shartak.com/index.php/topic,671.html
15 September, 2007 - Profile page modification
- A number of people have commented how they can only tell how many of a particular animal they've killed if they can make it to the top 100 killers statistics page. To rectify this, the profile page has undergone some reworking so that it now shows how many of each creature has been killed. The various sections have also been moved around a little so if you use any greasemonkey scripts to process the page, you should check that they still work.
11 September, 2007 - Clan invite/banish update
- Just a small update; now when you invite or banish someone from the clan administration page there is a section to add a short message to the recipient of the invite or banishment.
9 September, 2007 - Derby Evening Press: Yet another war in York! Raktam gets a queen! (unofficial news)
22 August, 2007 - Pirates vs Raktam Real-time Battle (unofficial news)
- The pirate coalition known as the Brotherhood of the Coast has been laying siege to the native kingdom of Raktam for the past week, and the two sides have resolved to determine their conflict in a real time battle. The battle is to take place 25 paces west of Raktam at GMT midnight this Saturday. There are prizes for the best fighter.
- For further information see this thread at the Shartak forum.
17 August, 2007 - Tutorial for new players
- New players can now follow the tutorial instructions to become acquainted with how to play Shartak. It has also been added to any existing players who fall into a certain category, if this includes you and you don't want to do the tutorial, there is a button to skip it.
9 August, 2007 - Blowpipe mechanics enhancement
- After some discussion, blowpipes have been improved - it now takes 1.5AP to attack with a blowpipe, but you don't have to pre-load it. Just ensure you have a poison dart in your inventory. Once you've learned the basic blowpipe use skill, you can then attack for just 1AP.
- So you don't lose your poison darts, all blowpipes have been unloaded and the darts placed directly in your inventory. As a result, you may encounter inventory usage much higher than normal. As you use darts, this will return to normal but if it bothers you a lot, you can just drop most of your (now empty) blowpipes.
7 August, 2007 - Derby Evening Press: Conflict breaks out across Shartak (unofficial news)
1 August, 2007 - Convert unused XP to spare AP
- Ever needed just a few extra AP? Got lots of unused XP because you're already at the highest level available? Now you can convert 1000 XP into 25 AP by using this page (restrictions apply).
28 July, 2007 - Refer a friend
- In order to increase the number of regularly active players, the "refer a friend" scheme has been introduced. If someone you introduce satisfies a few simple criteria, you will be rewarded with 100 XP and 30 Gold Coins. Because there are certain criteria that have to be met don't be surprised if it takes a few weeks for your bonus to be added.
- For more information please see the referrals page.
22 July, 2007 - Traders now produce backpacks
- The traders have found another way to spend their free time. Made from whatever materials they could find, they've started producing backpacks to help get more supplies from other camps and the fruit trees in the jungle. Because the backpacks take a while to make, they're quite expensive and you'll probably not find one in stock unless you're right at the front of the queue when they get finished.
17 July, 2007 - Map Location list update
- Following some feedback on the Map Location list, you can now edit the notes for locations without having to visit them and add a new one. As a result, the location list has changed in appearance slightly.
- You can now also change the colour of your "You are here" marker without having to visit your profile page.
11 July, 2007 - Major code changes
- To enable some new features to be implemented there have been some fairly major changes to some of the code. If you notice anything that isn't working how it used to, please let me know as soon as possible using the feedback link, email, forum post, wiki post, or even instant messaging.
8 July, 2007 - Map customisation
- Several people have commented on the colour of the "You Are Here" dot on the map - this is now something you can customise through your profile page.
- Click your name underneath the main game map and then click the "Edit Profile" button at the bottom of your profile page. Under Display Preferences is a line labelled Colour of your location on the map together with a dropdown for the colour choices.
- If you can't find a suitable colour then please let me know as it may be possible to add a new option.
7 July, 2007 - Ocean changes north of Durham
- Something has caused some of the undersea landscape to shift in the ocean north of the Durham peninsula. This has resulted in water that was previously far too deep to become passable with care. You still need to watch for sharks, but it is possible to take a shortcut across to the smaller island known to some as Unity Island.
28 June, 2007 - Map Location List
- With the exploration and cartography skills, you can now make short notes about certain locations. Once you've set a marker, you can guide yourself to it from anywhere on the island. Both exploration and cartography skills give you 5 locations each.
25 June, 2007 - Tracking update
- Expert and master trackers can now identify the tracks of those they know. Those who haven't fully mastered tracking may sometimes miss important clues as to the identity of the owner of a set of tracks but they'll get it right at least some of the time.
21 June, 2007 - Shartak Skinning Project released
- After months of whetting your appetite with screenshots on the forum, we're proud to release the Shartak Skinning Project. To enable the graphics on your character, simply login, visit your edit profile page and update the Display Preferences section.
- Please post feedback either on the official forum or use the feedback form.
- Lama has put in a lot of work with the graphics so please thank him if you see him wandering around the island. Of course, you should then run far away lest his machete claim another trophy.
- If you think you can do a better job, instructions on how to design and use your own custom graphics will be posted to the wiki in the week or two.
21 June, 2007 - IRC Channel - irc.efnet.org #Shartak
- This is not an official IRC channel, but it has been fairly well frequented for the last couple of days. Most of the conversation hasn't even been about Shartak, but feel free to visit and socialise with other Shartak players.
6 June, 2007 - Fruit Juice now available
- With a little care you can now extract juice from the fruit you find and store it in bottles or gourds. You'll need a knife or dagger and an empty bottle or gourd, together with 4 items of fruit to make just one bottle of juice.
6 June, 2007 - Derby Evening Press: York under attack (again)! (unofficial news)
23 May, 2007 - Derby Evening Press: New Derby Clan Founded! Dork Cup Ends! (unofficial news)
13 May, 2007 - Strange noises from the mountain
- Over the past few days, strange noises have been heard from the mountain. There has been lots of speculation about what these noises might be. Some say it's just the wind, while others seem convinced there's a creature up there.
- Some of the natives have been overheard talking about fearsome bird-like creatures that once roamed parts of the island but were now thought to be extinct. When questioned, they turn pale and quickly change the subject.
5 May, 2007 - Derby Evening Press: York rallies to defend itself during Dork Cup (unofficial news)
3 May, 2007 - Server Upgrade
- The webserver that runs Shartak (www, forum, wiki) has been upgraded from Apache 2.0 to Apache 2.2. Please let me know of anything that doesn't appear to be working correctly.
- Further upgrades are planned over the next couple of weeks but hopefully nothing with any significant impact is left, chances are you won't notice anything.
30 April, 2007 - Additional info shown in profile (minor update)
- The number of HP healed and spirits exorcised are now shown within player profile pages.
- Reminder: If you know the name but not the id of a character, you can search by name.
- Update: Trading points are now awarded for trades made with other camps where the trader is pleased to see you. Bonus XP are also given for these trades.
23 April, 2007 - New language related skills
- Those who have mastered foreign language comprehension can now practice the skills of both speaking and writing a foreign langauge. Just what you need to communicate with those savages (either the ones with painted faces and grass skirts, or the palefaces who leave trails of destruction through the jungle).
21 April, 2007 - Derby Evening Press - issue 5 (unofficial news)
18 April, 2007 - Possession
- Some of the more powerful spirits on the island are reaching the level where they can possess the bodies of the living. Fortunately only the most powerful can make you attack your friends, and even then you may be able to cause them to miss. The lesser spirits are able to speak their thoughts through you, causing you to say things you wouldn't normally, or to write them in the sand or on huts.
- What the shamans can do to prevent the possession of their tribes is as yet unknown, although it's only a matter of time before they come up with something.
16 April, 2007 - Dropping multiple items
- A slight tweak to the interface means you can now drop multiple items at a go. Up to 10 of any one item can be dropped at once but if you try to drop more of an item than you actually have, you will drop as many of that item as you have.
13 April, 2007 - Earthquake!
- A loud rumbling is heard throughout the island of Shartak and is accompanied by a strong shaking of trees, huts and everything else!
- General indications are that the epicentre was to the south-east of the island. The residents of Wiksik and Derby claim it was strong enough to send things falling to the ground although mostly the settlements seemed to have survived.
13 April, 2007 - Missing icons (huts, trees etc)
- There have recently been some changes made to the User Interface to accomodate the Shartak Skinning Project. Unfortunately this has had the side effect of some icons such as huts and trees disappearing. This is discussed at the Official Forum in this thread together with a resolution.
- We look forward to providing the results of the skinning project later in the year as testing is looking good so far. A sample can be viewed in this thread on the forum.
8 April, 2007 - Easter treats
- The Easter Bunnies are back by popular demand.. however this time they've actually been nice and left eggs around the island for people to find.
- * Please note that no offence is intended to persons of other religions, or lack thereof :)
30 March, 2007 - Zerging, flooding and other stupid behaviour
- It has been brought to my attention that there are a number of people flooding the population with effectively throwaway accounts that are used for zerging or spotting targets in a manner that could be considered cheating.
- Seriously folks, if you're that bored then maybe you need to find something else to play as well. Players are reminded that this sort of behaviour is a banning offence.
- For those who want a heavy sword, I'll sell one for 4000 gold coins to the first person who asks (and has 4000 gold at the time of asking). Contact me using the feedback link, or via IM/email/etc.
25 March, 2007 - Dork Cup - win 1500 gold and a heavy sword (unofficial news)
- Wixix Contest Division Prize Section wants to announce that we will give away two swords, both heavy! First for the first place, and the second along with Contest Favourite Trophy badge.
- For more information, please visit the contest thread in the official forums at http://forum.shartak.com/
5 March, 2007 - The Yorkman - issue 16 (unofficial news)
24 January, 2007 - Native Medical Huts
- The native leaders have issued orders for a spring clean and have managed to get all the loose poison darts and blowpipes out of their medical huts.
11 January, 2007 - Emptying bottles and gourds without drinking
- Ever had a full bottle of water but not known if it was fresh or salt water? Ever been stood in the river, wishing that unknown liquid could be replaced with fresh water but you didn't want to risk drinking it? Now you can pour the contents of bottles and gourds onto the ground and be left with an empty container.
5 January, 2007 - Balanced stance alteration
- Melee weapons will now show 45% again instead of the 60% that Balanced Stance gave before. Since this skill doesn't actually give you 15% to hit at the normal damage, it has been removed from the normal melee weapon display. In addition to the 45% shown, you will also get the 15% @ 1 damage that the skill provides.
2 January, 2007 - Clan membership updates
- You can now join up to three clans, with one of them being your primary clan. To change which of your clans is the primary, use the edit profile page.
28 December, 2006 - Newsletter - December 2006
- A summary of Shartak events this year can be found in this newsletter. The newsletter was also emailed out to anyone who had entered their email address (this is an opt-out list, you simply need to update your preferences).
21 December, 2006 - Be nice to newcomers... you were once one too.
- Level 0 players now have a reduced AP cost to respawn in their home camps. Instead of the usual 25AP, it'll cost just 10AP.
- Anyone level 3 or above will receive no XP for attacking anyone level 0-2. The kills will also not show up in the kill statistics although killed newcomer profiles do show that they were killed by someone.
- Newcomers get approximate directions to their home camp for their first few hundred moves.
19 December, 2006 - Christmas has come early.. just
- Santa's elves have been busy and built him a hut just south of the mountain. Santa is currently in residence waiting to give any adventurous souls a gift should they visit him.
- Don't wait too long as he's not used to the tropical heat of the island and will be leaving once the large block of ice cooling the hut has melted away.
11 December, 2006 - New Official Forum
- Due to the extended downtime of the unofficial Shartak forum, I've decided to start an official Shartak forum. It can be found at forum.shartak.com and will be undergoing some configuration and customisation over the next few days.
- Please register an account and if/when the unofficial forum returns, perhaps we can copy some of the more interesting threads across.
28 November, 2006 - Updated contact numbers
- Previously a donation of $5 would result in the maximum number of contacts being increased from 25 to 50, and $10 increases it to 100. This has now been updated so that $5 will increase the number of contacts allowed to 100 and $10 will increase it to 200.
23 November, 2006 - Unloading ranged weapons
- You can now unload rifles and blowpipes to reclaim bullets/darts. Just right for making the most of your rifle or blowpipe trades.
19 November, 2006 - Balanced Stance
- There are times when you attack someone and only just miss them. By adopting a balanced stance when fighting with melee weapons, you might be able to recover quickly enough to strike your opponent with a glancing blow instead of missing completely.
8 November, 2006 - Haggling
- Ever get the feeling that some of the traders are charging you more than they charge everyone else? Practice haggling and you may be able to get a better deal on your trades.
5 November, 2006 - Conch shell hunt
- Some of the native elders have been telling stories of a conch shell that brings power to anyone who holds it. Unfortunately, it usually brings death as well when others try to take it for themselves. The stories tell that the attraction of holding it is so strong it has even caused friends to turn against each other. The elders tell that the conch was lost to the sea several years ago hopefully never to be found again, but then there's always the risk that it'll wash up on the beach...
4 November, 2006 - Invitation only clans (minor update)
- Clans can now be made so that only those invited may join.
31 October, 2006 - Restless animal spirits
- It's the time of year when the animal spirits are restless. They're out seeking revenge on those that hunted them and it seems like nothing can stop them!
25 October, 2006 - Increased generosity
- Due to the number of bounties and trades that have large gold values, you can now give 1-10, 20, 50 or 100 gold coins at once.
19 September, 2006 - International Talk Like A Pirate day
- It seems like there must be something in the water as the whole island has gone crazy and everyone's talking like a pirate.
6 September, 2006 - Statistics revised and profile search feature
- The statistics pages have been revised. Clan membership numbers can now be sorted by active or total members and the 20 most wealthy active individuals are also charted. If you wish to remain anonymous on the most wealthy list, there is an option to enable this when you edit your profile.
- Character profiles now have a search facility. If you know the name but not the id of the character, you can search by name.
25 August, 2006 - Scientists advance triage skills
- Some of the scientists have taken their triage skill to a new level with advanced triage. This allows them to quickly identify all those who need attention and not just the most wounded.
- Emergency first aid skills are now allowing scientists limited recovery without needing a first aid kit. Whilst it's not enough to put a spring in your step, it should let you make it far enough to seek medical attention.
21 August, 2006 - Ancient rituals resurrected!
- Following an increase in hauntings, the native shamans have resurrected ancient rituals that used to bring peace to their villages. These closely guarded secrets are now being taught to any shaman who wants to learn.
2 August, 2006 - Contact list tidyup and RSS feed (minor update)
- Thanks to Elembis, the contact list has had a bit of a tidy-up. If you don't like it, you know who to add to your list.
- Want to keep up with the latest developments? There's now an RSS feed version of the News Page available here.
28 July, 2006 - Writing inside huts (minor update)
- You can now write on the inside of hut walls as well as the outside.
25 July, 2006 - Shartak Advert Competition
- Currently on the forum, there is a thread about advertising Shartak. If you have what it takes to create a banner ad or button that could be used to promote Shartak, please read it and send in your submissions. If you're not an artist, but feel you could come up with a slogan, there's room for that too.
17 July, 2006 - IP address changes
- Due to the server IP address needing to be changed by the 1st August, you may experience some temporary hiccups with both Shartak itself and the wiki. Every effort will be made to avoid any downtime as both IPs will be working for the next two weeks. On the plus side, we have been promised better network access using the new IPs (no idea if this is the case though!)
6 July, 2006 - Curse Of The Ancestors
- It seems there are a few people behaving in a most uncivilised manner. The spirits of the native ancestors have been watching and are most displeased. Those not inclined to mend their ways are likely to lead a cursed existence until they do. (Please ensure you read the FAQ regarding multiple characters and zerging.)
30 June, 2006 - Man-eating Tigers and Giant Squid
- Rumours of a man-eating tiger south-west of Dalpok are spreading rapidly among the natives. Supposedly it can rip a man to shreds in minutes and devours small children whole! Beware!
- The natives are not alone with their perils. The outsiders of Derby have heard of a fully-grown giant squid, more dangerous than the younger one found earlier in the year, and the news is just reaching the other camps. When last sighted by a brave soul, it was lying in wait in the deep water to the east of the island.
29 June, 2006 - Refillable Bottles and Gourds
- Empty bottles and gourds are now refillable if you're standing in water, just don't drink too much water from the sea as there's no telling how sick it'll make you feel.
27 June, 2006 - Trade Spare Medical Supplies
- After a recent thunderstorm that thoroughly drenched the northern side of the mountain, it seems a lot of water soaked into the ground and has risen to the surface to the north-west of the mountain. The water has formed a small river leading out from a pool to the sea.
- Despite regular trading, there just don't seem to be enough medical supplies (first aid kits or healing herbs) to go around. Perhaps there's more conflict, or maybe some of the wild animals are getting more dangerous, either way the traders would be happy to exchange your surplus medical supplies for gold coins.
24 June, 2006 - Trailblazing
- Scouts and Explorers are now able to blaze trails across the island much faster than before. Even the swings of their machetes chopping the jungle back seem almost effortless when they're in full stride.
18 June, 2006 - Improved Poison Darts
- After noticing that their poison darts don't seem to be very effective against the outsiders, the natives have come across a more potent poison to use instead. These improved poison darts make the target suffer after the initial strike and if a target is hit with enough darts, the effects of the poison can cause death within a couple of days.
12 June, 2006 - Fresh Water Good For You
- Scientists conducting studies into the island springs have found that the fresh water on the island is actually better for you than they first thought. This is just as well considering that the quality of their supplies of bottled water appears to have degraded somewhat and is no better for you than the fresh water.
10 June, 2006 - Contact Lists
- Contact list functionality has been added. Currently you can only add a comment if you use the contacts page, adding from the profile page will not allow a comment to entered. There is also no way to edit the existing contacts, for example to change a comment or convert a friend to an enemy. Look out for these fixes and perhaps more later this month.
1 June, 2006 - Paranormal Experiences
- It seems the longer you're on the island, the more sensitive you become to the spirits. It's getting to the point where with a little experience you can tell them apart when they whisper or scream.
- Some of the more superstitious settlers and also some of the natives have the skill required to take this spirit sensitivity to the next level and can identify even the peaceful and quiet spirits by performing a short seance or ritual.
31 May, 2006 - Attack of the Giant Squid!
- As people on the forum have noticed by now, there was a giant squid just off the coast near York. I won't do this every time a squid is killed, but as it was the first one...
- The person who finally killed it was Maximillion Pike
- The person who did the most damage to it was Dashing Derek for 105HP, followed by Tom Failur for 65HP.
- 12 different people managed to get in at least one hit before it was killed.
29 May, 2006
- The roaming shamans have been listening to the animals whilst on their travels and returned to their camps with stories of animal gatherings where the creatures are fed up with being attacked. It seems they're not going to take this lying down any more and will fight careless attackers without hesitation.
25 May, 2006 - Premium Prices for Traded Goods
- Due to a lack of GPS units and a huge surplus of machetes, traders are now likely to charge a premium for items in short supply, and not offer such good prices for things they have a lot of. They will however allow trades when they don't have enough to make it a fair trade, but whether you accept the low price or not is still up to you.
23 May, 2006
- Basic clans have been implemented to the point where you can select them in profiles. If you have enough XP to learn the Clan Leadership skill and are ready to setup your clan, please visit the clan page.
16 May, 2006 - Shamans Recaptured
- The four shamans who were in the outsider camps have been recaptured and confined to their original camps. The shamans from Wiksik, Raktam and Dalpok have returned home and completed training their six apprentices who are now wandering the jungle whilst their masters tend to the needs of the villages.
14 May, 2006
- You can now give up to 10 gold coins at a time to another player. The actual maximum number you can give depends on your current inventory.
3 May, 2006
- Driftwood can now be fashioned into a rough sign to mark various landmarks or simply give directions. You'll know if you have enough driftwood as you'll see an extra action available.
- After a collection of alligators appeared on the outskirts of Dalpok, the local shaman has succeeded in persuading them to go home and leave Dalpok in peace.
18 April, 2006
- After the sudden appearance of Easter Bunnies on the island over the weekend, it seems that quite a few people managed to bag one, or in some cases more than one. The person who bagged the most was Stanley Y with a grand total of 4.
5 April, 2006
- Watch out for spirits! Some of them have taken to screaming, shrieking and wailing in such a terrifying manner that they have been known to scare people to death!
30 March, 2006
- After weeks of wandering aimlessly in search of prey, the telltale signs that animals and people leave behind are starting to become familiar and skilled trackers can now start following them across the island.
23 March, 2006
- The local trader has returned from searching in the jungle with plenty of stock and is now ready to trade most items with you. He can be found in the trading post in your local camp.
19 March, 2006
- Stories of pirates setting ashore on Shartak are circulating amongst those already on the island. Apparently they've already taken one of the native shaman captive and are holding him on the beach near their ship.
For the next week, anyone with an existing character who wishes to change to the pirate class can contact me and I'll do a one-off update where your class will be changed to Pirate and home to the pirate camp. Once you change, there's no going back. (Offer now closed)
12 March, 2006
- Some of the natives have been attending lessons on using blowpipes more effectively and as a result outsiders should watch out!
9 March, 2006
- To assist in the formation of clans, new characters are now able to choose which camp to start in. If you're inviting friends to play, don't forget to tell them where you live!
7 March, 2006
- Various Shartak mapping projects are underway with results being linked to from the wiki; click the "Help/Wiki" button below or visit http://wiki.shartak.com/
- Clans are now being discussed and organised within the wiki. Go to the clans page to register your preference for implementation or to signup to a clan.
17 February, 2006
- Shartak now has a Frappr! map. Go and add yourself to the map so we can see where everyone is from!
8 February, 2006
- Profile pages can now include a very long description and an image (linked externally).
19 January, 2006
- AP regen rate boosted to every 20 minutes. Maximum of 75 AP after 25 hours.
17 January, 2006
- Finding your way around the island can be tricky at best. Some of the natives have mastered the art of scratching pictures of landmarks on a large leaf and the outsiders have found some items to draw primitive maps with. You can view the map at any time whilst logged in.
23 December, 2005
- Signups are now open until we reach 300 players. At that point, you can still use your invites to get friends to play.
- All locations, AP, skills, inventory etc have been reset. Max AP now limited to 50.
12 December, 2005
- If you go down to the jungle today, you might find fruit and other things to help get your health back to max again.
- Action Point regen rate returned to one every 30m but the maximum is still 100. If you have more than 100, you may have some 'bonus' AP. All new players start with 50 'bonus' AP as well as the normal 100 regenerating AP.
30 November, 2005
- Things are starting to look much better now. Plenty of objects work properly now and as you can tell, there's now the ability for me to add news items to your event list.
- In order for you to test some of the items without spending hundreds of AP searching for them, there are bonus items for everyone! Let me know if you find something that doesn't quite do what you think it should.
- The AP limit has been temporarily raised to 100 maximum with a regen rate of 1 every 5 minutes. This will change before launch.
28 November, 2005
- Ranged weapons (blowpipe and rifle) now require ammunition to function properly.
- Ammunition for ranged weapons can be used to reload.
25 November, 2005
- Action Point system finished.
- Hits-per-IP limit implemented.
14 November, 2005
- Searching now yields various objects, different areas have different things that can be found.
- Objects that can be used as weapons can now be used to attack
8 November, 2005
- Attacking people actually works now although only punch attacks exist.
4 November, 2005
- To prevent too many people signing up during the development and testing phases, invitations have now been implemented and all existing players given a single invite to use. Perhaps it'll continue to be invitation only even after launch to prevent 'zerging'.