Cup of Jones - March 15, 2021
Added 2021-03-15 16:56:43 +0000 UTCNext week we’re throwing a five-day party to celebrate our fifth anniversary, but this week is going to be monumental as well. We have nine different streams scheduled, including reactions to the next batch of news from Square Enix, some Avengers updates with Bosman, and an Animal Crossing revisit on the one year anniversary of its launch. We’re meeting to lock down all the EZX games today, so stay tuned to Patreon and our website for the full streaming schedule. And we’ll be kicking off the event with another live Cup on Monday morning, so I’ll see you then!
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2qHXCB90Zo
- Brandon
DISCLAIMER: I take questions from the post comments on the previous week’s episode here on Patreon. You can ask a business-related question which I may answer live, or a personal question which I may answer below. If your business question was not answered live, I either replied to it in the comments, or referenced the answer in a recent episode. Feel free to inquire why your question wasn't included, or ask the same question a second time if you think I may have missed it. I will edit your comment/question before reading it live to ensure the show moves as quickly as possible. I typically grab all the questions by midnight (PT) the night before each episode.
Comments
I will pass this along. - Jones
Easy Allies
2021-03-22 07:42:44 +0000 UTCLOL <3
Easy Allies
2021-03-22 07:36:26 +0000 UTCNo question this week jones just want to say what everybody has already which is happy 5th birthday EZA and a special shout-out to you Brandon for doing Cup every week and keeping the community in the loop and being such a great guy listening to us nitpick and give you suggestions every week. Very happy to be apart of this community and I know Easy Allies best days are still ahead of them L&R!!!!
Sage_Mode_Q
2021-03-22 06:51:16 +0000 UTCSafety Post
Happy Gaming
2021-03-22 01:12:37 +0000 UTCHey there Jones, HAPPY 5 YEARS, AND HAPPY EZX!!!!!!!!! I was curious if there were any plans or ways that EZA and company are being conscientious about being more environmentally friendly, or possibly taking small steps to do so? It's something that's come to my mind over this past week or two as the popular online discussion once again has put a spotlight on BitCoin and the newly adopting models of NFT, as well as how extremely wasteful their consumption of energy are. I know these specific examples are probably out of the question for what EZA is planning on participating in in the first place, but they brought up concerns about how streamers and gamers in general can be more conscious of the environment. For instance trying to make sure that equipment like monitors are Energy Star approved, or giving a portion of funds to certain charities invested in reducing the carbon footprint. Are these sorts of things the crew have discussed, as I know being eco-friendly and taking care of the planet is something you've openly spoken on in the past (and I'm sure all of us wouldn't mind a Cup of Jones editorial on the subject whenever you'd like to do another one). Anyways, just thoughts I was having and wanted to run them your way. Side note - Any chance you know who's in the lineup for the next Community Showcase, or is it too soon to tell at this point? I know it's hard to tell early in the month, but I think it would be good to have a date to announce this information regularly for those who try to make their contribution aimed at the guest who's joining. If not, no worries, just wanted to check! Love and Respect Brian from Happy Gaming
Happy Gaming
2021-03-22 01:12:04 +0000 UTCHello Jones (and lurking Blood) I'll start by issuing two apologies, one for steeping out of my boundaries and the other for following thru with this post, knowing perfectly well that I'm stepping out of my boundaries. Also, feel free to skip this one from the show, since it's not actually a question but a suggestion or request. Wednesday March 31st will be the last day Super Mario Bros. 35 will be around and I thought it would be a good game for a tournament night before it goes away. That is for March 30th, I know you are doing a hall of greats this week. Now, I have several ideas of how a tournament could go in Super Mario 35. Setting 1. You all get into the game at the same time (this to try to have you all sharing the same game, which is a gamble) and whoever get the worst place, is eliminated. The remaining players get into another round and so on until one ally gets on top. If there is a tie in the worst place, the ally with more coins at the end of the round survives. If they are tied even in coins, then how improbable is that both are eliminated. Setting 2. You all play a set number or rounds (I'm gonna say 8 since there is 8 of you) and whoever gets the most coins after that number of rounds wins. Still, it would be better if you all try to start at the same time to try to make it to the same lobby. As to how to account for the coins made during the allotted rounds; the menu screen has the count. If any of you have previously played the game and have some coins already, just save that previous number or take a screen shot of such screen and check it at the end. Setting 3. Almost same as above, but instead of playing a set number of rounds, you play for a set amount of time, whenever someone looses, they restart immediately; and again, whoever gets most coins after the time is up, wins. Setting 4. Just like the previous one, but instead of running for coins, the winner is determined by summing up the reciprocal of such places. Meaning, Let's say Damiani only played 6 games in the hypothetical 1 hour run; and he got a 1st, two 2nds; a 3rd, a 4th and an 8th. His score would be 1/1+1/2 + 1/2 + 1/3 + 1/4 + 1/8 . That way, the better the place you get, the more it contributes to ones score; if someone got to play 16 games but never go to top10 places, his score would be lower to someone who played less but got better places. Setting 5. You do a positioning round with all the 8 allies to determine brackets. This has the advantage that it would only require 2 people to share their screen for the rest of the night; and that when someone looses, the rest of the allies can move to the next match while the winner can still play until his round ends if they want. The proposed bracket would look like this: 1 -- -- 2 vs | -- -- | vs 8 -- | | -- 7 | -- | 4 -- | | -- 3 vs | -- -- | vs 5 -- -- 6 Setting 6. Just like setting 2 or 3; but instead of you keeping record of how many coins everyone got, you use the leader boards to decide. Whoever ranks the hightest wins. The leader boards can be accessed by pressing the + (plus) button on the joycons. Just a note that everyone should know if you choose this one. The leader boards are constructed with the highest amount of coins you got on one run. Meaning, fi you got 3 runs, one of 100 coins, another of 120 and a third of 80; the leaderboard will take your 120 run to place you. That could make things simpler for you guys to determine a winner. If you decide to go this route, the leader boards reset every week; so if everyone just skips playing Monday and Tuesday before the stream, it should be fair for all of you. Wow, that was a lot of typing; and I'm not done yet. Ideally, I suggest you use a setting similar to what Ian has been using for the valheim stream, just times two because that would mean 8 screens have to be shared, but to keep at least one piece simple, it would be better that only one of you is sharing the sound. Of course, that wouldn't be necessary if you chose the setting 5 with the brackets. That would only need 2 allies sharing their screen. Again, just an idea that got carried away too far, but my hope is that, even if you don't make a Super Mario Bros. 35 tournament, maybe one of the settings I propose can make it's way to a later tournament. And finally, It's just my hope that you guys play that game on stream before It's gone. That's why I propose a tournament setting, but you find all of my proposals too complicated but just decided it's ok to stream the game before it leave us, that would be great. Estamos en Contact, César.
César Villa
2021-03-21 23:21:22 +0000 UTCSince your very first week, I have linked Easy Allies with personal fitness, as I will only listen to your podcasts when running, biking, or lifting weights. In a roundabout way, you’ve helped me lose over 100 pounds and 15% body fat in the past five years. I would love if others in your community felt this kind of support, and based on comments from the Allies and your fans alike, it’s safe to say that many people have understandably faced setbacks in regard to physical fitness since the pandemic began. As the world slowly reopens, I believe this presents an excellent opportunity for you and your community to support one another with some kind of personal fitness initiative! No one is asking you all to complete a marathon and squat four plates, but an event or initiative around moving your body would only benefit all involved. You can make it game related, like checking Ring Fit Adventure progress after a month, or a tournament of some kind where you can gain advantages a la Hunting Huber if you completed physical challenges the week before. Because everyone is on their own journey, it wouldn’t be a competition against others, but against your past self… so long as you’re making progress and are better than when you began, you win. Alanah Pearce is doing something similar to great reception as she recovers from an injury, and encouraging the betterment of your community in a hostile-free, comfortable setting would be an amazing way to have all of us get out of this year better than we entered it.
G the Finger
2021-03-21 20:57:45 +0000 UTCHello Mr. Jones, Happy 5 years to all the allies! Today i have a question and a memory of the allies, my memory is i first knew of the crew back at the GT days, but i didn't knew what was twitch or streaming a videogame, i just wanted to watch the E3 press conferences via a website, i found a website called gametrailers and it was fine, but then, the next year i was eager to watch the conferences but they were there... people talking over the conference and with no audio... i said, what the heck, i want to watch and listen to the conference, not this clowns, that was 2015... little i knew i had to watch them... then 2016 came and once again i wanted to watch the conferences, i search for the website that i already knew but i found a little group of gentlemen, screaming and reacting to Microsoft's conference i said... i recognize this faces... they are the clowns that were talking over the video, but now they have audio and have less budget but the vibes feels different, more warming, more cozy... let's give them a chance... fast forward to 2021, a proud patron and eager to the videos of this clowns. I'm really happy to be a member of this community. Now the question do you feel lke have a better voice quality with zoom than back in the studio, where you have to almost scream o talk loudly so we can have a etter experience or what are your thoughts on that?
Daniel Garza Andrade
2021-03-21 20:52:52 +0000 UTCHeya Jones, Oh, wow, congratulations! 5 years! That comes to about 2,628,000 minutes. And it makes me wonder how Easy Allies measures five years: in daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee, In inches, in miles, in laughter, or in strife?
Asbo Zappruder
2021-03-21 15:47:16 +0000 UTCHey Jones, Since trying to wait for people to be online is a pain... Why not do a dream code island hop to check up on people's Animal Crossing islands for a stream or two? It would give the more regular people who still play a chance to show what they've done over the year/months, and with dream codes, you just have to worry about your own internet. Just a thought. L&R
R.F. Switch
2021-03-20 18:52:14 +0000 UTCHey, Jones. Just wanted to say it was wonderful seeing you over on MinnMax for their Deepest Dive on Arkham Asylum, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It reminded me that Ben Hanson is still the only person to have been a guest on the main podcast, any chance we could get a return visit in the future? (would love to see more crossover with any of the crew for that matter) L&R
BeatenDownBrian
2021-03-19 14:46:02 +0000 UTCPersonal question. What do you like more: games or candy?
Alexander Zyryanov
2021-03-19 07:34:07 +0000 UTCJones Jones Jones..... After the announcement of Bethesda working on ( gasp! ) An Indiana Jones game.. I have some questions for you regarding our Iconic hero. 1) Which of the current movies is your favourite and why? 2) We know you didn't pick Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in question 1 but is Cate Blanchett is best Indiana Jones villain ? 3) Should they of passed the mantle to Shia in the passing of the hat scene in Indy 4? 4) What would you like to see in the game personally that will really bring you in to the world of Indiana Jones?
Teph
2021-03-18 06:04:07 +0000 UTCA personal question but could you tell us more about your Welsh heritage please? You mentioned it a few cups back. I'd love to hear more about it and how you found out. I'm a proud North Walien and would love to hear more from you and any other Welsh allies! Also just as an aside, the idea of an official discord is a great one. Please make it a thing!
Cabbagelad
2021-03-17 22:43:06 +0000 UTCHi Jones, Just wanted to share an article/report that might be up your alley. (Edit: Patreon marks the link as spam. Just google "finnegan ar vr q4 statistics") Your podcast coverage of Hololens made me think of sharing this, for obvious reasons that will become apparent. Disclaimer: apart from subscribing to their newsletter, I have no relationship with the authors or law firm. Since it's not from a typical gaming news outlet, I figured you wouldn't already be aware. Though the target audience of this is for patent lawyers, it includes some more mainstream takeaways (Microsoft was the top AR/VR patent assignee in 2020 with more than 275 patents); plus, it's a goldmine of brand-manager jargon to tickle your fancy. "In the fourth quarter of 2020, the intellectual property offices around the world combined to issue over 6,700 patents related to AR/VR technologies, a huge surge from the 2,300 in Q3 and the most of any quarter overall in 2020... Additionally, the pandemic and social distancing guidelines have no doubt spawned numerous applications for AR/VR technologies that were previously unexplored... While not everyone thrived in 2020, many companies working with AR/VR technologies saw the altered economy as opportunity to further their innovations, businesses, and accompanying patent protection. The possibilities for AR/VR applications are endless as more customers and companies are expanding their working and entertainment options to accommodate remote and socially distanced options." Keep up the great work, Jones! --The Velvet Underground & Niko Bellic P.S. When I last posted a long time ago, you expressed some curiosity about my screen name. It's a Jeopardy Before & After. "The Velvet Underground & Nico" is the name of the landmark 1967 album by The Velvet Underground and Nico. Niko Bellic you surely know very well.
The Velvet Underground & Niko Bellic
2021-03-17 01:59:47 +0000 UTCJones, I am SO sorry. I didn't mean to start Bloodgate 2021. That's the double edged sword of cup of Jones. You're the only Patreon I subscribe to but I like this show because you let us behind the curtain, take questions, and try to answer them candidly and honestly when you can. Obviously, I don't know other Patreons that do that since I'm only subscribed to one. However, now I hate feeling like 'that guy' because I obviously didn't mean to annoy anyone. At the end of the day, I want you guys to make the show you want to make. I don't want this to be a bother and I just wanted to chip in an opinion on something. Should I not have brought that up? Blood taking a topic and running with it is really such a laser focused thing - should questions for cup of Jones be broader, big picture things? I promise - this is it for me for a while regardless. I love you guys and your content and I had the best intentions - I swear! L&R, ~Matt
Matt Galeza
2021-03-17 00:06:09 +0000 UTCOctopass Traveler
Master Pantz
2021-03-16 19:39:44 +0000 UTCNo need to read this on Cup of Jones, just trying to save you guys some money. Game Pass seems to be getting pretty pretty good. Almost a required purchase for a gaming coverage outlet at this point? Well if you agree, you could save the EZA crew some cash on a Game Pass Ultimate subscription with a little investment in 3 years of Xbox Live Gold (the max allowed) and then converting that into a full 3 year Game Pass Ultimate Subscription for only $1. Basically you get 3 years of GPU for $181 instead of the normal cost of around $540. There's a few tricks to it like if you have a current subscription you need to let it expire with auto-renew turned off before you start this process. Find more info here: https://www.resetera.com/threads/does-the-3-year-of-xbox-gold-1-dollar-upgrade-to-gamepass-still-work-update-yes.292523/
Master Pantz
2021-03-16 19:39:22 +0000 UTCAlso getting dragged into this conversation. I did not feel the Bloodworth Transition was odd. But maybe giving it a segment name. Where Blood throws to himself? IE: "And now it's time for... segment name." Just like with L&R, Or Wars, & Press Release Me.
Dr.Medic
2021-03-16 13:56:35 +0000 UTCI'm not sure if this is business or personal... I haven't listened to cup of Jones in a while, and I'm not sure if this has been discussed. Since the new pokemon announcements came out, and you mentioned you want to play the third generation of Pokemon before the generation 4 remakes come out (brilliant diamond/shining pearl)... A Brandon Plays Pokemon Emerald with you and Ben would be incredible. An "Emerald Alliance" if you will. It doesn't even have to be a live 2 hour show like before, even a podcast style like Brandon Plays Pokemon Red or Brandon Sun Kyle Moon would be so great. I've watched all the Pokemon series 2 times each... And while I like how you guys interacted for sure, when you guys butt heads I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as when you were working together helping each other. I just thought Ben, being a Pokemon fan, would be a good counterpart to bounce things off of and seems like it would be a more cooperative series. Regardless of what your plan is to play Emerald, if you even do, can't wait for more Pokemon content in the future! Thanks
Siddique Baksh
2021-03-16 08:47:17 +0000 UTCHi Jones, I don't have an opinion on the Blood transition, but I do have some concerns about talking about rumours on the podcast. While they can sometimes be fun, I think they can sometimes feel out of place when taken too seriously. For instance, Damiani's brought up the thing about SEGA being bought out twice in a row despite comments clarifying that the games division hasn't actually split. This isn't an issue I have with the topics you bring up, since any of those rumours are generally from reliable sources, but I feel some of the Allies have a habit of just restating things they've seen on Twitter, Reddit or from Twitch chat. L&R!
The Canipa Effect
2021-03-16 02:49:15 +0000 UTCJust as a quick note about the transition between blood and you during the podcast. I did feel the transition to be a bit awkward too. I think this mostly comes from the fact that even though you introduce Bloodworth as c-moderator, I never really felt that title to mean much with respect to moderating duties. I understood it mostly as someone who is there every week as opposed to being part of the rotation. As well as maybe chiming in every once in a while about which topics to cover behind the scenes. I think the way you talked about it one or two cups ago I think it totally makes sense that Blood just starts his topics and it is something for me I could easily get used to.
Djazzy
2021-03-15 22:43:51 +0000 UTCBusiness Question: Hey Jones. What are the chances that there will be a Spoiler Mode for the "Snyder Cut" version of Justice League?
Karl Williams
2021-03-15 19:34:54 +0000 UTCHey Mr. Jones! With a brief tweet announcing Frame Trap and Friend Code were changing up their schedules, I was curious if this primarily was because of large workloads from the respective producers and needing to reorganize workflow, or is it a need to help diversify release dates within a given week to have a more balanced output of content? While I have no qualms, it felt out of nowhere, and was hoping for some quick surface level clarification. Until next week, when I potentially will have a question regarding whatever announcements you all are making regarding Patreon (because I write these during/after an episode, so like my last question, it could be obsolete by the next episode since there are seven days to completely null what I ask =-] ), have a wonderful rest of your day and Cheers! QUESTION: Regarding a brief tweet announcing Frame Trap and Friend Code were changing up their schedules, I was hoping for clarity: Is this primarily because of large workloads from the respective producers and needing to reorganize workflow, or is it a need to help diversify release dates within a given week to have a more balanced output of content?
Brandon K Gann
2021-03-15 18:27:17 +0000 UTC
