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Massively Speaking Episode 17 is a short show to reflect the slow week in MMO news. Just the same Michael and Shawn had a few interesting things to talk about, including Massively's interview with the folks at 38 Studios and their recent guide to Guild Wars for WoW players. We also (thanks to a reader) have a drinking game for Massively Speaking! Come join us for the official rules to our "totally interesting" podcast drinking game, and a lot more.

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Read below the cut for the full show notes.

We've created a nice range of Guild Wars guides so far, from the very basics to some rather intermediate. While these guides will continue to get more advanced, we wanted to take this opportunity to catch readers up on where we stand so far. We hope this wrap-up will serve as an effective introduction to the game and gateway to our future advanced guides.

	It's never too late to start playing Guild Wars Haven't had a chance to play Guild Wars yet? You're thinking maybe three years after launch is a bit late? Nah, you're just in time! Guild Wars has so many enticements for people who are just getting into this new-fangled MMO scene, but also for people looking for a change from their regular game. We're here now to explain a bit about ArenaNet's masterpiece, targeted at someone who has only heard of Guild Wars, but never actually played it.
	A PvEer's guide to PvP in Guild Wars So you think you want to get into Guild Wars PvP. Maybe you've taken a look at Observer Mode and thought, "Hey, I can do that!". After almost three years of playing against mobs and spawns with predictable patrol patterns, you're looking for something new to spice up your favorite game.
	A guide to Pre-Searing The name "Pre-Searing" comes from the fact that everything in this tutorial area of GW:Prophecies occurs before the Searing, when the evil Charr burned the lands of Ascalon to the ground. Because of the fact that it precedes the rest of the storyline by two years, the area cannot be accessed again once you leave.
	A guide to Heroes Guild Wars has been an innovator in so many different aspects of the MMO genre, but none more than the introduction of ally NPCs to fill out a party and make soloing easier. It started out simple enough, but it eventually evolved into something much more advanced (and exciting) with Heroes.
	A guide to the Hall of Monuments Who doesn't love to brag about their accomplishments and show off their stuff? Luckily for Guild Wars players, the addition of the Hall of Monuments with last year's Eye of the North expansion allows a new way to show off what you've achieved in game and the very best high-end items you've obtained. However, the Hall of Monuments is so much more. It's also a way to transfer these items into the future for all of your descendants in Guild Wars 2 to enjoy.

As many of us enjoy very warm weather for the upcoming holiday weekend, we thought we'd flash back to a cold holiday of yesteryear. Today's Guild Wars One Shots screen comes to us from Eugaet, who created this during the 2005 Guild Wars holiday event. Eugaet writes: I had planned on creating panoramas for every location in the game, including 'holiday' versions...but I ended up not having much time to devote to the project. Even so, they're still lovely panoramas to look at -- especially the full-size version!

If you're heading out in your favorite virtual lands to enjoy the celebrations, snap some screenshots of what you and your friends are doing. We'd love to show off some of the things going on this weekend, but we need your help! So snag those screenshots and send them to us at oneshots AT massively.com along with a quick blurb as to what we're seeing.

The 2008 edition of the annual Guild Wars Dragon Festival is set to kick off starting next Thursday, July 3rd. The events, prizes, and loot drops are set to run through the evening of Sunday, July 6th PST. Every year the Canthans (the culture from Guild Wars: Factions) celebrates a festival of fireworks, mini-games, and fantastic prizes. Every year the Canthans hand out a terrifying Demon mask, and this is your chance to win the 2008 variety. You can catch it on the right, on a fearsome warrior's visage.

How do you get that mask? Glad you asked! Victory tokens are available for successfully completing the aforementioned mini-games, and you'll need 250 of those bad boys in order to claim the mask. Head over to the Shing Jea Boardwalk to play the games, try out the new missions (new ones every day), and be sure to be there on the final day of the Festival for Emperor Kisu's proclamation and mask distribution. Happy Dragon Fest!

Three glorious years, over five million boxes sold. Guild Wars has come along way in that time, and it's no surprise that NCsoft's darling is still managing to stake out new players. Shamus from over on Twenty-Sided is one latest victim, in his post: Guild Wars: Massively Single Player, Shamus delves into Guild Wars with fresh eyes and posits about why it's a great single player experience. Of course, solo players use their own henchmen and heroes to help unfold that epic story.

When EverQuest reigned king long before WoW, soloist proponents were booed away with a common message: "Go play a single player game, MMORPGs focus around grouping and solo content has no place here." Today, most MMOGs offer solo play but in such a way that progression is meaningful, but grouping is still encouraged for the best rewards.

We've been getting some really tremendous panoramas lately from Shawn W who compiles them in Guild Wars. Today's One Shots is of Amnoon Oasis in Guild Wars Prophecies. Shawn writes: For travelers into the desert, this tiny harbor represents a last chance to rest and resupply. It also provides one last view of water, sight of which becomes increasingly rare as one ventures eastward. This image is nearly a 360º panorama. If you really want to be blown away, check out the full-size panorama!

Do you have any screenshots you've compiled into panoramas? Perhaps you just have a lovely landscape? If so, we'd love to see them! Just send them to us here at oneshots AT massively.com.

This video is an oldie, but a goodie. Rather than debate the merits of Guild Wars, versus World of Warcraft, he held a dance off. Set to the eighties classic, You Can't Touch This, by MC Hammer, he also used a "cheesy" Star Wars intro at the beginning. Which game do you think won the dance off?

[Via YouTube]

If you have machinima or movie suggestions from any MMO, please send them to machinima AT massively DOT com, along with any information you might have about them.

You may not be familiar with Carbine Studios, the new home of games industry veteran Jess Lebow. That's not too surprising as Carbine is still in stealth mode, working furiously on a project that we couldn't touch on at all in a recent discussion with the company's Lead Quest Designer. Mr. Lebow has had a storied past in the industry, just the same, and our discussion touched on a number of different issues.

Join us as we quiz Jess Lebow on his work with Dungeons and Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast, reflect on his time sailing with Flying Lab, and look ahead to what the future of the industry might hold. Plus, for Guild Wars fans, a few insights into what the granddaddy of the setting thinks about how his offspring is doing nowadays.

Over at Massively's sister site Big Download, the PvE vs. PvP column is exploring the future of Guild Wars' Player vs. Player elements. Talking to game designer Isaiah Cartwright, the site offers up a bevy of questions on the current and future game's signature arena-style combat. The designer touches on the interesting question of game balance when it comes to balancing the needs of one type of player over the other.

Cartwright as much as admits that the challenge of keeping skills balanced for both sides of the coin is a daunting challenge. In the future, they might even completely separate out the mechanics for these game components. A skill might do one thing in PvE, for example, and another in PvP. That would be for future projects, though: Arena.net's focus on Guild Wars is on maintaining the game's quality, not shaking things up. Other subjects of conversation include the impact of the skill unlock packs, the introduction of 'casual' PvP with Factions, and the possibility of tools for player-run tourneys in the future. Be sure to check it out for context on one of the most unique MMOs on the marketplace.