Older 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'.