Gameplay

Gameplay in Shartak occurs on a grid-like map of the island. Players participate and interact as outsider and native characters of various classes. The island is also home to many characters controlled by the system. These non-player characters (NPCs) include helpful shamans, traders, and various animals.

While the game is primarily geared towards the raging conflict between outsiders and natives, players are free to devise their own unique goals. There is no right or wrong way to play, though there are certain methods which are more efficient at accomplishing a desired task.

Mechanics

Action Points

Characters rely on Action Points (AP) to perform almost all actions in the game, such as moving, speaking, writing, fighting, searching, and trading (see explanations below). Most actions cost 1 AP. When a character's AP reaches 0, they rest and are temporarily unable to do anything.

One AP is replenished every 20 minutes; in 24 hours, a character regains 72 AP. Most classes cannot exceed 75 AP, but scouts and explorers have a maximum of 80.

Some actions use 0 AP (such as dropping an item, attempting to heal a target that has full health, proposing a trade at a trading post, or trying to search with fewer than 2 free inventory slots). Others use AP in increments of 0.5 (e.g., speaking, moving over zero density jungle, or tracking with advanced tracking for 1.5 AP). Every 10 minutes, your character regains 0.5 AP.

If you run out of AP, the game will tell you how many minutes you have to wait until you get another one. Some activities cannot be performed if they would send you into negative AP (e.g., contacting a shaman). Other actions (like moving through swampy terrain or swimming) can send you into negative AP, in which case you will be unable to act until your AP becomes positive again.

Experience Points

Main article: XP

Performing certain actions earns Experience Points (XP). Players with enough XP can buy skills, which improve a character's current abilities or grant new ones. The most common way to gain experience is to attack an animal or another player.

Hit Points

Humans and animals in Shartak have a limited amount of Hit Points (HP). Damage inflicted to a character (by other players or animals, etc.) will reduce their current amount of HP. Some items, including all drinks and most fruits, will replenish a player's HP if they are consumed or used.

If a character's HP reaches 0, they die. But death is not the end; it is just another part of the game. Dead characters can play as spirits or can contact a shaman on the island who will assist them in returning to life. (Contacting the shaman in your home village costs 25 AP, while contacting the nearest wandering shaman costs 50.)

Players can be harmed and killed even while they are logged out (asleep). You may sleep, but for other players on the island, life goes on.

Generic actions

Move

Your character is located in the center block in the 5x5 map grid. You can move into any directly adjacent block that has the "Move" button by clicking on it.

Movement through beach, grassland and non-heavy jungle terrain usually costs 1 AP, but with the trekking skill it only costs 0.5 AP (note that character AP display is rounded off), and trailblazing allows 0.5 AP movement through heavy jungle as well. Travel through swamp and water terrain is harder and consumes more AP per movement. Certain terrain can be dangerous: swimming in deep water can result in a shark bite, which requires a first aid kit or healing herb to cure.

Besides moving to adjacent areas, characters can also enter and leave huts, ship compartments, and temples found in their current location. They are also capable of climbing mountain paths and certain tunnels; see Terrain for more information.

Push

Maximum density jungle terrain requires chopping down some of the growth before moving there. If you aren't carrying an item to chop the vegetation, you can attempt to "push" through maximum density jungle, but you will fail most of the time.

Chop

If they have a machete or cutlass, characters can chop down the impassable jungle (level 10) in the adjacent areas down to level 9. Characters can also chop jungle in their immediate area. Passable jungle growth ranges from level 9 (dark green) down to level 0 (brown dirt). All jungle (and camp) areas regrow vegetation over time.

Attack

You can attack other players and animals which are in the same area as you. Use the first pull-down menu to select the target. Use the second pull-down menu select the weapon you wish to use.

The value represents the damage (in HP, see above) you will inflict if you hit the target. The percentage is your chance to hit the target, or your accuracy. Higher accuracy means a higher chance of hitting the target.

Occasionally your melee weapon breaks and is discarded, and occasionally you inflict extra damage: "Maybe it's luck or maybe it's skill, your attack is right on target and inflicts more damage than normal. You attack the tiger for 5 damage. It dies." (See Special weapon event odds for related research.)

Search area

No matter where you are, you can attempt to search your immediate area for any items you might find useful, and on most squares you have a chance to find certain items. Your success rate in finding items and the types of items you find depend on the type of terrain you are searching. The best search success rates are found in medical huts and ammunition huts in camps, as supplies have already been stacked in them. Searching almost always costs one AP, although some difficult terrain can require more than 1 AP per search attempt.

An unsuccessful search generally does not mean that there are no items in the area, just that you didn't find any on that attempt. You can search any area multiple times and continue to find items. (See How searching works for more information.)

Speak

If another player is in the same area as you, you can communicate with them by using the textfield next to the "Speak" button and then clicking the button.

All outsiders can understand each other, and all natives understand each other. But without learning the language of the other group (see Skills), it is difficult for an outsider to comprehend the words of a native and vice versa.

Write

Main article: Writing

If you own a knife or dagger, you can leave messages on huts, trees, and in the sand. These messages are not permanent, but they provide a means of creating temporary landmarks and communicating with other players. However, without certain language skills it is difficult for outsiders and natives to understand each other's messages, as they speak different languages.

Make signpost

Main article: Signpost

With two pieces of driftwood, you can place a semi-permanent signpost in an outdoor location. Signs can be used to communicate with other characters (for example by marking directions and distances to important locations). Outsiders and natives write in different languages.

Look for tracks

Main article: Tracking

With basic tracking, advanced tracking, and expert tracking skills your character has the ability to examine the area for the paths of animals, shamans, and other players that have passed through the area previously.

Trade

Main article: Trading

When inside a trading hut, your character has the opportunity to trade an inventory item for those that the trader has in their inventory.

Items

Main articles: Items, Inventory

Many items are fundamental to gameplay, including weapons, consumable items, and others. Items are stored in a player's inventory (which cannot be seen or accessed by spirit players) and can be traded with the trader in each camp.