Newcomers Guide - Revision history

Raivo: Fixed a link

2025-04-23T09:56:21Z

Fixed a link

Raivo: Replaced IRC channel information with the Discord link.

2025-04-21T18:30:08Z

Replaced IRC channel information with the Discord link.

Simon: /* Helpful Links */ Added facebook page

2011-01-23T00:23:11Z

Helpful Links: Added facebook page

Simon: /* Creating a character */ Added note about changing home camp.

2011-01-23T00:14:16Z

Creating a character: Added note about changing home camp.

Simon: /* Things to know about Shartak */ Added info about hiding when inactive

2010-11-20T10:08:49Z

Things to know about Shartak: Added info about hiding when inactive

Johan Crichton at 21:05, 18 November 2010

2010-11-18T21:05:35Z

Ahnaom at 07:15, 18 November 2010

2010-11-18T07:15:12Z

Ahnaom: /* Tips for starting out */ fixed the internal link

2010-03-23T07:22:35Z

Tips for starting out: fixed the internal link

Ahnaom: some minor corrections and formatting, no changes in the contents

2010-03-22T17:02:05Z

some minor corrections and formatting, no changes in the contents

Ahnaom: /* Things to know before you start */

2010-03-21T09:24:38Z

Things to know before you start

@@ Line 88: / Line 88: @@
 *'''Effectiveness'''<br>
-Or, a good future [[XP]] income. Costs of leveling up increase with each level. Some skills give you abilities that further grant [[XP]], some bring other benefits. It is important to distinguish between the two types. Some of the more effective ways of earning [[XP]] include combat against players or [[animals|NPC animals]] (ranged weapon skills for [[Outsider_Classes#Soldier|Soldiers]] and [[Native_Classes#Warriors|Warriors]], melee for the rest), healing, visiting trading posts. [[Spirit_Skills|Playing as a ghost]] might also bring decent amounts of [[XP]].
+Or, a good future [[XP]] income. Costs of leveling up increase with each level. Some skills give you abilities that further grant [[XP]], some bring other benefits. It is important to distinguish between the two types. Some of the more effective ways of earning [[XP]] include combat against players or [[animals|NPC animals]] (ranged weapon skills for [[Outsider_Classes#Soldier|Soldiers]] and [[Native_Classes#Warrior|Warriors]], melee for the rest), healing, visiting trading posts. [[Spirit_Skills|Playing as a ghost]] might also bring decent amounts of [[XP]].
 ''See [[Tips and tricks]] for more advice on leveling up.''
@@ Line 106: / Line 106: @@
 *'''Healing supplies''' <br> The more you can afford, the better. The island has some dangerous animals and angry players.
 *'''Some spare gourds or bottles'''. <br> They can be used to juice fruit and carry around fresh water, both are used for healing oneself.
-*'''GPS'''. (not usable by natives from the start) <br> A very convenient gadget to find your way around the island.
+*'''GPS''' (not usable by natives from the start) <br> A very convenient gadget to find your way around the island.
 *'''Some gold coins''' <br> You can sell unnecessary items at the [[trader]]'s hut. Gold does not take up any space so it is always a good idea to convert some of the junk into coins.

@@ Line 135: / Line 135: @@
 *'''[[Clans]]:''' There are many of them in Shartak, usually with their own specific agendas. Quite a few are happy to help the newcomers settle in.
 *'''[http://forum.shartak.com/ Official Forum]:''' For saying hello to other players, discussions, major events and more. A good place to ask for questions if you can not find an answer in the wiki pages.
-*'''[[Knights_of_the_IRC_Channel | IRC channel]]:''' Real-time chatting.
+*'''[https://discord.com/invite/Nb25Nth Discord]:''' Real-time chatting.
 ==Helpful Links==

@@ Line 154: / Line 154: @@
 *[http://twitter.com/shartak/ Shartak Twitter News]
 *[http://www.shartak.com/faq.html Official FAQ]
 The following more detailed class-specific gameplay and skill guides are written specifically for newcomers:

@@ Line 76: / Line 76: @@
 [[Native_Classes#Cannibal|Cannibals]] live only in [[Rakmogak]], other native classes can choose from [[Raktam]], [[Wiksik]] and [[Dalpok]].
-''You can not change your home settlement in the game later.''<br>
+''You can not change your home settlement in the game'' except (with some restrictions) by submitting Feedback requesting the change.
 ===Tutorial===

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 *'''Goals''' <br> Shartak is what you make of it. There are no predefined goals that you have to achieve. You are free to explore, heal, hunt, fight other players, join a clan, trade or just sit and have some beer with your friends in a tavern. It's up to you to set your own goals. Players also organise contests and other events by themselves, you can join them or even make your own.
-*'''Persistent environment''' <br> Your character will be in the game regardless if you are logged in or not. This means he or she can be killed or healed while you are away. Real time interactions are not that common in Shartak, players kind of "take turns" logging in and spending their action points whenever they see fit.
+*'''Persistent environment''' <br> Your character will be in the game regardless if you are logged in or not. This means he or she can be killed or healed while you are away. Real time interactions are not that common in Shartak, players kind of "take turns" logging in and spending their action points whenever they see fit. After 7 days of inactivity, your character "hides" and is then protected from being killed. Once idle, you will not see anything that happens in the same location.
 *'''[[Roleplaying]]''' <br> Shartak is a roleplaying game, and while not being mandatory, roleplaying is encouraged. This means that you are not playing as yourself but rather create a character with his or her own background story, appearance, values, etc. While many players act as if Shartak was in the Colonial Era, there is no official setting for the game.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-The purpose of the newcomers guide is to give new players a quick overview of the Shartak game, provide a few basic tips and help you to find your way around the island more easily.  It is ''not'' a comprehensive guide that tries to cover every aspect of Shartak. However, there are many links here that can point you to more detailed articles.
+The purpose of the newcomers guide is to give new players a quick overview of the Shartak game, provide a few basic tips and help you to find your way around the island more easily.  It is ''not'' a comprehensive guide that tries to cover every aspect of Shartak. However, there are many links included in this guide that can point you to more detailed articles.
 ==Things to know about Shartak==
-*'''Free browser game''' <br> Shartak can be played on any computer with an access to the Internet and a web browser. There is no need to install anything else. Shartak is free to play but [http://www.shartak.com/donate.html donations] are welcomed. They provide some minor benefits to your character without giving big advantages over other players.
+*'''Free browser game''' <br> Shartak can be played on any computer or device with access to the Internet and a web browser. There is no need to install anything else and everything is stored on the server. Shartak is free to play but [http://www.shartak.com/donate.html donations] are welcomed. They provide some minor benefits to your character without giving big advantages over other players.
 *'''Pacing''' <br> Shartak is a slow-paced game. You won't be slaughtering enemies left and right, every action costs some action points which slowly regenerate over time. Depending on your play style it might not take longer than 10 minutes per day to enjoy the game.
@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 ==Tips for starting out==
-*'''Education:''' This Shartak Wiki contains a lot of useful info for beginners.
+*'''Education:''' The Shartak Wiki contains a lot of useful info for beginners.
 *'''Tutorial:''' Before doing anything else, follow the in-game tutorial. The [[Tutorial|tutorial]] is risk-free and grants 100 XP, enough to obtain your first [[Skills |skill]] of choice.

@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 *'''Tutorial:''' Before doing anything else, follow the in-game tutorial. The [[Tutorial|tutorial]] is risk-free and grants 100 XP, enough to obtain your first [[Skills |skill]] of choice.
-*'''Preparation:''' Shartak is a dangerous place. Make sure you have plenty of supplies before venturing too far from your starting location. See the [[#items_and_inventory|Inventory]] section for concrete tips.
+*'''Preparation:''' Shartak is a dangerous place. Make sure you have plenty of supplies before venturing too far from your starting location. See the [[#Items_and_inventory|Inventory]] section for concrete tips.
 *'''Navigation:''' Getting around in a hostile jungle environment is not easy. Until you acquire a GPS unit and/or the [[Exploration]] skill, be wary of getting lost.
 *'''Hazards:''' The islands of Shartak are filled with dangers and death is rather common. It is not the end though, you can continue playing as a spirit or respawn fairly easily.
 ==Character basics==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 The purpose of the newcomers guide is to give new players a quick overview of the Shartak game, provide a few basic tips and help you to find your way around the game and Island more easily.  It is ''not'' a comprehensive guide that tries to cover every aspect of Shartak. There are many links included that can point you to the places with more details.
-==Things to know before you start==
+==Things to know about Shartak==
 *'''Free browser game''' <br> Shartak can be played on any computer which can access the Internet. There is no need to install anything. Everything is stored on the server, and can play the game from any computer.  There is no cost to play the game but [http://www.shartak.com/donate.html donations] are welcomed.  Donations provide some benefit for your character without giving an advantage over other players.
@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 ==Tips for starting out==
-*''Tutorial:'' Before doing anything else, follow the in-game tutorial. The [[Tutorial|tutorial]] is risk-free and grants 100 XP, enough to obtain your first [[Skills |skill]] of choice.
+*'''Education:''' The Shartak Wiki contains a lot of useful info for beginners.
-*''Preparation:'' Shartak Island is a dangerous place. Make sure you're well supplied before venturing too far from your starting location.  See below for recommended supplies.
+*'''Tutorial:''' Before doing anything else, follow the in-game tutorial. The [[Tutorial|tutorial]] is risk-free and grants 100 XP, enough to obtain your first [[Skills |skill]] of choice.
-*''Navigation:'' Getting around in a hostile jungle environment is not easy. Until you acquire a GPS unit and/or the [[Exploration]] skill, be wary of getting lost.
+*'''Preparation:''' Shartak is a dangerous place. Make sure you have plenty of supplies before venturing too far from your starting location. See the [[#items_and_inventory|Inventory]] section for concrete tips.
-*''Hazards:'' The islands of Shartak are filled with dangers. Unless you take precautions you can expect to die easily. Death is not the end; you can revive fairly easily. Don't let death get you down.
+*'''Navigation:''' Getting around in a hostile jungle environment is not easy. Until you acquire a GPS unit and/or the [[Exploration]] skill, be wary of getting lost.
@@ Line 41: / Line 42: @@
 ==Creating a character==
-There are some ''permanent'' choices you will have to make when registering a new character.  '''NB:''' There are no ways (beyond appealing to the game developer) to change your character type, class or home camp once you've started a character.
+There are some ''permanent'' choices you will have to make when creating a new character. <br>
 ===Natives and outsiders===
@@ Line 78: / Line 80: @@
 ===Tutorial===
-You will be presented with an option to follow an in-game tutorial. It might seem boring but is actually a very short and useful way to get familiar with the game. It will also grant you a good amount of [[XP|Experience points]] (XP).
+You will be presented with an option to follow an in-game [[tutorial]]. It is a very good way to get familiar with the game and will also grant you an amount of [[XP|Experience points]] (XP) enough to buy your first skill.
 ==Skills and leveling up==
@@ Line 92: / Line 94: @@
 ==Items and inventory==
-Every player starts with some [[items]] in his inventory. By default you have 70 slots that can be expanded to 100 if you buy a [[backpack]]. You do not lose any of the belongings upon death and things can not be stolen. However, some of them are one-time consumables, others have energy bars, weapons sometimes break during the use. Dropping items equals discarding them permanently, they disappear.
+Every player starts with some [[items]] in his inventory. By default you have 70 slots that can be expanded to 100 if you buy a [[backpack]]. You do not lose any of the belongings upon death and things can not be stolen. However, some of them are one-time consumables, others have a chance to break. Discarded items disappear from the game.
 You can gain [[items]] by searching in certain places (e.g. resource huts) or [[trading|buying]] them. Keep in mind that the majority of things can be obtained for free.
@@ Line 105: / Line 107: @@
 *'''Healing supplies''' <br> The more you can afford, the better. The island has some dangerous animals and angry players.
 *'''Some spare gourds or bottles'''. <br> They can be used to juice fruit and carry around fresh water, both are used for healing oneself.
-*'''GPS'''. (not available to natives from the start) <br> A very convenient gadget to find your way around the island.
+*'''GPS'''. (not usable by natives from the start) <br> A very convenient gadget to find your way around the island.
 *'''Some gold coins''' <br> You can sell unnecessary items at the [[trader]]'s hut. Gold does not take up any space so it is always a good idea to convert some of the junk into coins.

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 ==Things to know before you start==
-*'''Free browser game''' <br> Shartak can be played on any computer which can access the Internet. There is no need to install anything. Everything is stored on the server, and can play the game from any computer.  There is no cost to play the game but [http://www.shartak.com/donate.html donations] are welcomed.  Donations provide some benefit for your character without giving an advantage over other characters.
+*'''Free browser game''' <br> Shartak can be played on any computer which can access the Internet. There is no need to install anything. Everything is stored on the server, and can play the game from any computer.  There is no cost to play the game but [http://www.shartak.com/donate.html donations] are welcomed.  Donations provide some benefit for your character without giving an advantage over other players.
 *'''Pacing''' <br> Shartak is a slow-paced game. You won't be slaughtering enemies left and right, every action that you make costs some action points which slowly regenerate over time. Depending on your play style, it might not take longer than 10 minutes per day to enjoy the game.