Cup of Jones - June 3, 2019

We know exactly what causes the de-syncs, and that's dropped frames when broadcasting to Twitch. These can happen due to fluctuating internet connections, and I suspect performance issues with the PC / software. Upgrading the PC in the control room is on the to-do list for sure. The other persistently annoying part of the problem though is just the way YouTube handles the frame drops, shifting the video and pulling it out of sync. The worst part about it is that a video will appear as if it's finished processing, I'll check it for any sync issues and publish when I think it's fine, but then YouTube will continue screwing with it in the background and introduce sync issues that weren't initially there hours or days later. -Bloodworth

Easy Allies

Hi, Jones. This is mostly for Amanda, but maybe you know the answer. Has Amanda played RiME, Journey and/or What Remains of Edith Finch? These are all relaxing games, with maybe the exception of some scenarios in What Remains of Edith Finch, though it has a very beautiful mother and baby dynamic with a brilliant and very heart warming ending, as well as showing how poweerful and important a family's legacy is and how it connects through the generations. If she hasn't, could you please pass this along to her? L & R

Daniel Ribeiro

Hey Brandon, really liked your E3 coverage this year from the studio, seems like Easyallies is producing even more year after year even if it reaches insane quantities of content. Thanks goes to Keanu Reeves, who made the reaction to Cyberpunk 2077 the most viewed video since the game sleuth about the running man in Ocarina of Time. My question for this week: Did you figure out why you had several videos with audio out of sync? Bloodworth did a lot of reuploads and these on top of the portioned impressions made the channel a bit spammy at least on one day. I hope you can identify the source of the audio-problems and maybe manage the smaller impression-videos next year to create a better pace :)

Stefan Bien

Hi Jones, So, last week saw the biggest event of the year and a celebration of one of our favorite mediums. That's right, the Tony Awards were last Sunday! It was a fun show but it was always going to be difficult to compete with last year where I actually got to watch a song by They Might Be Giants performed at the Tonys. I'm not gong to ask you about any of this year's shows. Instead, I'm going to be self-indulgent and ask about three shows from the very first Tony Awards broadcast I ever recorded (and still have the VHS for). From 1995: - Smokey Joe's Cafe - Show Boat - Sunset Blvd. Also, congrats on the great E3 coverage! I hope you all are as proud as we are! (ps - Can we get a Best Doggie category in this year's E3 Awards? I've got a couple nominees in mind already.)

Asbo Zappruder

Business Time: Does making Youtube content like the Podcasts early access for Patrons hurt how it could be served to new viewers by the algorithm? If you were to re-do all your Patreon tiers, what have you considered as your options so far? Do you feel like you are obligated to keep the same tiers / pricing forever? Have you looked into Special Offer options (discounts for new Patrons), or the charge upfront option?

(Personal) Hi Brandon, I strongly relate to the comment you made regarding the future of our planet and share many of your concerns about how issues related to climate change will negatively affect our lives and especially those of future generations. With that in mind, and considering how we now know that animal agriculture is responsible for causing some of the worst environmental calamities we are currently facing as a species (for example, it is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than the entire global transportation system combined and for up to 90% of rainforests deforestation. It is also responsible for things like topsoil erosion, land desertification, ocean dead zones etc.), and how we do not need to eat animals or animal products to be strong or healthy (the American Dietetic Association and the British Dietetic Association, the largest bodies of nutrition and diet professionals in those countries, have both stated that a plant-based diet is nutritionally adequate and safe for all stages of life), my question is: Are you (or perhaps any of the other allies) vegetarians/vegans, or simply considering reducing the amount of animal products (we’re talking meat, boy;) you consume, in order to try and reduce the negative ecological and environmental footprint each one of us creates? I’d like to stress that there is ZERO judgment aimed with this question, I know it might be a sensitive topic but a very important one none the less. Since you are clearly very concerned and passionate about this issue, I thought it can lead to an interesting and hopefully a fruitful discussion. Much love & respect, congratulations on an incredible E3 coverage and Mazal-tov to Amanda and you for the baby!!! Naveh

Safety Post

Happy Gaming

Happy E3 Brandon and Allies, I was throwing around an idea over the last week as I've been watching the EZA live coverage of the events. It's rare that I'll actually watch streams live, the exception typically is E3 and the Hall of Greats. Watching something live is typically a little anxiety inducing for me because I feel like I can't pause, rewind, etc because I'll miss something. Because of this, I'll typically watch old streams as I cook, clean, do housework, or when I'm playing something I don't want to devote my full attention to. I was curious what your thoughts are on a Patreon 'weekly recap' post. In it, it would summarize all the streams from throughout the week with links to watch them. I realize that this takes time and effort, and would probably fall onto someone like Blood, as I understand he sets up the Twitch broadcast collections, who would ultimately decide if the time it takes to compile the links and descriptions is worth it. Personally, I thought it would be a good way to recap on what the Allies have been up to, and make it easier to allow people another option to visit or revisit streams from the past week without needing to go through the archives in YouTube or Twitch. Loving the coverage, keep up the fantastic work everyone! L&R, Brian from Happy Gaming

Happy Gaming

Morning Jones! The HOTTAKE on the pre-E3 episode of Frame Trap was focused on expectations for Microsoft's E3 press conference, even though this episode was released publicly a day after the aforementioned press conference. In addition, much of the segment was a rehash of what was previously discussed on the Easy Allies Podcast's E3 preview, and the pre-show before the press conference itself. This sort of redundancy in coverage between EZA's many shows has happened before, so I wonder if there is ever any discussion between the show's hosts on who should cover what, or if there should be some planning in your monthly meetings to make sure that if shows do cover the same topic, there is a unique perspective to ensure that everyone's take and approach is thoroughly conveyed. L&R - Brian

Brian Denu

Hello. Soo, how did it feel to pull in 14k viewers at your first E3 stream? And what would you imagine 2016 jones would say should you hitch a machine 3 years back to tell him?

irene035

Hello Jones.

Quick question. "Boost It" shirt when?

Kate Bishop

Hi Jones. Regarding the betting special. This year's is amazing and one of the reasons is the large ammount of community involvement. You guys really knocked it out of the park. I was just wondering if during the results show if the guys would discuss the tickets submitted by fans. (who was the ultimate winner, how many fans beat the allies, most divided bet... Etc). I just think it would be a great way to include fans in the results show. Keep up the good work! Thanks, Tom Bowen

Tom Bowen

Business Question Hello Jones, With talks last week about Patreon exclusive shows going public, an idea came to mind. Shows like achieve it yourself are fueled by the EZA community. Its format is also primed for public consumption. It is short and catchy with a good potential for hype dramatic moments. Would it make sense for the group to post such shows on Youtube for everyone simultaneously advertising "Become an ally to post your challenge"? Do you think such format is something worth producing? Thanks, L&R, K

Kalin Milanov

Business: Hey Jones, usually with E3 comes a boost in patron numbers. In the best case scenario the Patreon would grow above the 55k goal of a weekly live guest show hosted by Brandon Jones, unfortunately this outcome does not seem likely but humor me. With a kid on the way, is this still possible? Will you have the time to commit to the show? Or will other allies have to step up and fulfill this role for you? Only asking because I think if you cannot host this show, you should change the goal description to reflect that. L&R

Personal: HEY Jones, I saw you raise your eyebrows when I mentioned the Inkypen Switch App during the community showcase. I thought I would let you know if you download the app you can now browse their content without subscribing and I think they may even offer a free trial week or something. Either way I think the service is well worth the very low cost of subscription even for a month to binge some Judge Dredd or Hellboy. They also have Predator and Alien comics as well as heaps of Star Trek. Worth a look. Cheers

Steven Beaumont

Hi Brandon, not sure if this one has been covered before, but how do you choose trailers for Trailer Jones? Games seem to launch/reveal with so many trailers nowadays - Ghost Recon Breakpoint and the Borderlands 3 having specially brought this to my mind. They both have so many trailers, some far better than the first trailers than the one initially revealing the game - sometimes played just minutes after the first one. I suppose my real question, do you want Trailer Jones to examine the reveal trailer or the current best trailer the game/movie currently has out?

Lee

You let Huber take holiday immediately before E3... He's either gonna have so much energy he combusts the moment someone says something he's hyped for. Or, he'll be so relaxed the most we get is an intrigued raised eyebrow.

Kif

Hello Brandon. You’re talking a lot about rides in Disneyland and you speak with a lot of excitement. I never been in Disneyland (or any other entertainment park) and I never saw any rides besides Russian Mountains (which are fun once or twice, but if saw one, you’ve seen them all). Based on movies I imagine a ride as a train that slowly moves from one room with some animatronic dolls to another room with another dolls. And this sounds like something that only small kids can like. Can you please explain what a ride is and why it is fun?

Alexander Zyryanov

No question this week! Just have a great day :)

Sekiro505

E3 Hype!

Varun Kachhwaha

Hey Jones - just a compliment. Thanks to Allies for being a positive force on E3. I know it’s tiring for everyone and a lot of work, but I feel like EZA still spins it as positively as possible. Other gaming pundits I listen to complain so much! I know they have the right to, but it’s nice to hear the people I support love this event as much as I as a fan do.

Owen

Hello Jones, On the subject of partner flexibility due to big life events or simply taking a vacation... I hope that in all such matters you and the allies approach the question with Compassion First. Sure, we give you money. But you are people first, contractors second. Above everything else: your professionalism, your sense of humor... it is the love and the respect you have for each other and for us that I value most, and I hope that this is always the case. As a dad who's been on parental leave with his wife for 6 months, take all the time you need. As much as we love your voice and will miss you, Amanda and your son matter more than anything else. As a son who lost 3 grandparents in 4 years, give Ian the time he needs. As a teacher who gets 2 months off (or 2 months to recuperate, depending on how you look on it), I hope you guys all take the vacations you need to stay sane and healthy. When life comes up, good or bad, I sincerely hope that all of you celebrate and mourn together as Brothers First. And to us lower-case allies, I hope that we can all have the love and respect and compassion to give these 9 beloved men the time and space they need to be human beings first... and to be here when they return. L&R

Corrigall

Personal Q. Regarding Meditation. I too used to struggle with clearing my head when starting to meditate due to managing a great number of people and events . A method that works for me now is to go the complete opposite and actually "allow" the thought to come to your mind then find an overall and fast resolution to deal with it and put a "visual check-mark" on it then move to the next thought, This helped me clear my head a lot faster and when any thought or idea came back I remember the check-mark and push it along. Give it a try. L and R. -AgroWander01

Mr. Jones, What would you change about our current American culture. What would you keep the same, what would you add and what would you remove? Are the decisions for the betterment of the people or are they for the creation of a Jones style Utopia?

Morgan Mohalla

(business) Hi Jones, It seemed like a few extra comments were making mention about showing exclusivity on Patreon to the public last week... and I had a thought about it while listening so here is my two cents. What if you had every 5th or 10th episode of an exclusive show (or whatever portion you deemed suitable) made public on your youtube channel? Your Patreon supporters are able to share with friends the great content found within more often. The people not yet supporting you will have tantalising footage of shows, knowing that there is more out there, having thoughts like “that was great, but what about episodes 2 through 5? Would they not also be great?! What have I been missing?!” and then be reminded that for less than a cup of joe they can get hours upon hours of Cup of Jones and other content. I realise that a number of shows have been way too short to be able to do that (such as And For That Reason, Fancy Fifteen, etc) but longer running shows you have or will make in the future might benefit? Again, just a thought, take what serves you and discard the rest. L and R. Damon of Radioactive Magic.

Radioactive Magic

Brandon, I like your suggestion of patron involvement in Trailer Jones. Jones can't roll out the usual answer of "That's Ben's show" or "That's Kyle's show". Thinking of the patron who suggested Polls this episode, Trailer Jones could fit in patron involvement with Polls pretty easily. Its clear Jones has more than 3 trailers in mind when he does the honorable mentions at the end of trailer Jones. He could post them all to a poll with links to the trailers and let Patreon decide 1, 2 or all 3 trailers. It would also give me a chance to see the trailers myself before Trailer Jones.

Matt Brookbank

Creation pow-wow with Jones, Kyle & Don... YES please!

Matt Brookbank

Business Hi Jones, Can I propose EZA lets us know when you have projects in the works. Giving names like Project Sparta or Project Trinity to upcoming projects would be great and then announcing Project Sparta is Box Peek and it's premiering in 2 days. This would help you guys keeping shows a secret and it lets everyone know that there are a lot of projects being worked on. Maybe a release window would be good. Thanks Iboshow

Ibrahim Sozer

Business (sorta): Hi Jones, I know this segment of Cup of Jones is usually for critiques and suggestions on how to run EZA better, but I just wanted to chime in and say that I think you and the allies are doing an excellent job and I hope you have a nice rest of your day. L&R - ChocolateDanger

Hey Jones Can you put the allies shirt sizes in the fan mail info on the website. There's been a hand full of times I have seen a shirt and thought it perfect for one of the allies but had no idea what size would be right for the particular ally. Thank you! -A

(You don't have to read this next CoJ if you don't feel its necessary) Thanks for taking my comment. Not left boiling or anything :) With the funding, I was thinking about more along the lines with the big fundraiser from last year not the month to month funding which I know is for salaries and pay. Just wanted to clarify but again, thanks for expanding on my concern. I was thinking along the lines of having a more tech guy in the background which does seem necessary if you continue being stream heavy which was discussed as well. I could see a lot of potential of someone who could que visuals, sounds and other content during a show and even possibly setting up a broadcast of the live recording of the podcast (exclusive perk?) as a way to relive time for the rest of the allies, iron wrinkles and add production values. I know that is not really an option currently with the structure and funding of EZA. I don't mean to say EZA has to be GT as its not but perhaps just an inspiration to look to as far as technical goals go. Happy E3 and L&R

Zugdar

Hey Mr. Jones! While Trailer Jones will be going on a hiatus in the fall, I was curious: Have you considered a way to incorporate more community or Patron involvement in some way? This is inspired by a video title I saw a while ago about trailers that spoiled their games, and I instantly thought, “What if the show had a discussion about this?” or probably more efficiently (and lack of a better term), a ‘suggestion box’ like a way to submit a theme for an episode, or an L&R themed segment for questions focused solely around trailers? I understand that from trailer introduction to scores, each segment of every episode goes about 10-15 minutes, so this suggestion would probably increase every episode by about 25% (give or take) in length, therefore this probably isn’t a great idea, but I can’t help myself because to quote yourself and other Allies, “I love trailers!” Thanks for humoring me on this one and as always, have a wonderful rest of your day! Cheers!

Brandon K Gann

Hi

Mikehook1

Hey Jones! e3 e3 e3 e3! :D

drd7of14