Theories

This page serves to collect and display every theory about anything Shartak. With this information, researchers can more easily find what is waiting to be tested. Please feel free to add and theory or question you may have, but check to see that nothing too similar is already here, or either proved or disproved. If you have done any research that supports or counters a theory, please add a link to it.

Biology

Jungle

What, other than watering, determines when a square of jungle will become denser?

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Each square grows at the same rate, regardless.

Evidence:

• It's simplicity would make the server's job much easier.

Counter evidence:

• The thickest jungle is, other than the random blotches in the middle of nowhere, mostly around towns, just outside their clearing. These spots would be chopped more due to the heightened population.
• Simon said it's not so. See the talk page.

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Shartak is divided into sections, and when one square loses one level of density, another square in the section grows by one.

Evidence:

• On the Durham peninsula, the jungle is generally very well maintained, with the town and Fort Creedy thoroughly cleared. However, there is level 9 and 10 jungle spread throughout.

Counter evidence:

• The effects of the Shartak Deforestation Movement showed that mass deforestation of the jungle did not cause random jungle squares to gain density, although it will regrow within weeks.
• Simon said it's not so. See the talk page.

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When one square anywhere on Shartak loses one level of density, another square grows by one.

Evidence:

Counter Evidence:

• Simon said it's not so. See the talk page.

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Jungle can grow at X:05 and at X:35.

Evidence:

• Shargle eggs hatch exactly at 0:05 server time, and NPCs attack at X:05 and X:35. Jungle density also happens to increase by 1 for every week, but growth could also be determined by density (i.e. d9 could take 3 weeks to reach d10)

Counter evidence:

• Simon said it's not so. See the talk page.

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There is a set number of jungle squares that go up a density at certain times (well 5 past to be precise) but which squares is decided randomly.

Evidence:

• Tom Failur said he knows this "from talkign to Simon on IRC". Simon would certainly know.

Counter evidence:

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Jungle can grow at server midnight.

Evidence:

• Tom Failur said he knows this "from talkign to Simon on IRC". Simon would certainly know.

Counter evidence:

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Jungle can only grow at server midnight.

Evidence:

• Tom Failur implied this, which he would have known "from talkign to Simon on IRC". Simon would certainly know.

Counter evidence:

• Here are two pictures from the same server day, with some jungle thinker than before.

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Jungle grows faster when next to dense jungle.

Evidence:

• In real life, plants make more plants.
• Grassland must be next to grassland to appear.
• Thick and thin jungle tends to grow in blotches.

Counter evidence:

• It's complexity would make the server's job much harder.

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Jungle can lose density.

Evidence:

• An experiment testingthelimits and I am doing shows, in the 81 squares we're recording, each day, a few lose exactly two density. --TripleU 20:05, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

Counter evidence:

• It would be counter productive to make jungle grow up and down. A complete waste of server power.

Grassland

What, if anything, would stop someone from removing all grassland from Shartak?

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There are specific spaces of grassland that will always be grassland.

Evidence:

• Otherwise a patch of grassland could be removed. That's to much control over the topography.

Counter evidence:

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There is a minimum amount of grassland spaces. Once it is reached, no more can disappear.

Evidence:

Counter Evidence:

Animals

How do animals appear?

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Whenever an animal dies the same species appears somewhere else.

Evidence:

Counter Evidence:

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A certain number (possibly one) of each species appears after a set amount of time.

Evidence:

Counter Evidence:

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Different animals are more likely to appear in different locations.

Evidence:

• I personally have notices a large amount of tigers near native villages. --TripleU 04:20, 11 December 2008 (UTC)

Counter Evidence:

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There are spawn points in which animals can appear.

Evidence:

Counter Evidence:

How do animals move?

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Animals move at X:05 and/or X:35

Evidence:

• All of the animals I've observed moved at one of these times. See here for the data. --TripleU 04:08, 11 December 2008 (UTC)

Counter evidence:

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Animals are most likely to move the same direction that they previously moved.

Evidence:

Counter evidence:

• It's complexity would make the server's job much harder.

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Different animals move at different speeds.

Evidence:

• Most of the animals I've observed moved twice an hour, but some moved every half hour. See here for the data. --TripleU 04:08, 11 December 2008 (UTC)

Counter Evidence:

How do parrots talk?

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When someone says something to a parrot then it may be repeated.

Evidence:

• According to wikipedia, there is "the ability of some parrot species to imitate human voices". Simon may have given them this power to make them realistic. See the wikipedia page for details.
• How else would they think of what to say?

Counter evidence:

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When a parrot is taught something, only that parrot may say it.

Evidence:

Counter evidence:

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When a parrot is taught something, It goes into a data base of parrot phrases that any parrot may access.

Evidence:

Counter evidence:

Objectology

Charms and How to Get Them

The different charms are:

• Parrot feather charm
• Silver skull cross
• Monkey claw charm
• Tiger tooth amulet
• Rabbit foot charm

Cyadora's observations, from the forum, 30 Oct 08

"the Temple Ruins, south of the Shipwreck, can offer: silver skull crosses and all of the other charms (not jewelry) in the game. Inside the Temple Ruins can be found gems (roughly 1 per 20 searches. For all outside searches, I have found to search in a ruins square with 1-4 growth is better and 4 being the best.

Ft Creedy ruins (outside)... mostly tiger tooth amulets. Note: Wild boar tusk necklaces and batwing earrings are not charms, they are just jewelry and do not have any side effects of any kind.

Trade values (buying) that I (just me and my experience) have seen: Rabbit foot, Parrot feather and monkey claw 2-6 gc Silver Skull Cross, Wild Boar Tusk Necklace and Bat Wing Earings 7-9 gc"

Which charms do something?

Uncertain, but it seems they all have some sort of effect.

What does each charm do?

Billfred's observation on the forum, 20 Nov '08 - "I had moved one square, so going on self-research, I'd say the Tiger Tooth Amulet attracts tigers, the Wild Boar Tusk Necklace attracts boars, the Parrot Feather Charm attracts parrots(?), and the Rabbit Foot Charm attracts Deer (The human mind tends to try correlating category A with category B. Since the rabbit foot charm assumption is a forced assumption, I strongly doubt this theory. --Sizzu 14:48, 4 February 2009 (UTC))

The Silver Skull Cross as we know, is a protection from Spirits."

Cheesesteak's observation from the forum, 5 Jan '09, "Silver skull cross charms as far to my knowledge lower the chance of the user being possessed. This is backed up by the flavor text when attempting to possess a wearer of the charm: "You attempt to possess PLAYER, but a protective force stops you"

FirstAmongstDaves' experiment 9 Jan '09: to test silver skull crosses, tiger tooth amulets and parrot feather charms against shark bites. Assumption is that shark bits will be inflicted without differce in probability from area to area. 41 deep water movements near Derby incurred 11 shark bites over two days - ie. approximately 25% bite rate. Will test against deep water movements without any charms.

Otherology

XP, AP, HP, and IP

If you have 1 HP and you eat a poisonous berry/drink salt water, how much XP do you get?

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0

Evidence:

• I tried it with salt water. 205 XP and 1 HP before, 205 XP and 10HP after.--TripleU 04:56, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

Counter evidence:

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1

Evidence:

Counter evidence:

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2

Evidence:

Counter evidence: