Cup of Jones - July 8, 2019
Added 2019-07-08 16:58:24 +0000 UTCI'm not sure if it's a slow time in the middle of summer, or people are giving me some breathing room, but there are only 3 pages (business and personal) of questions for today's Cup of Jones. Combined with the fact that I haven't been on several of our streams and shows lately, this might not be a 100% update of everything happening here at Easy Allies. But regardless I'm happy to be able to hop online and say hello to y'all, and talk about the big events coming up this week and beyond.
- Brandon
Comments
It's weird going from cleaning up the house to arranging things in Dragon Quest Builders 2! - Brandon
Easy Allies
2019-07-14 17:41:19 +0000 UTCWhat is your favorite Yoshi boss?
GmanSir
2019-07-13 17:11:57 +0000 UTCHey Jones! Do you have any extra thought on Builder last 2 that didn’t fit into the impressions video? I’d love to hear more of your take on it.
Jake Bankston
2019-07-13 16:10:08 +0000 UTCHi Jones, have kyle, brad or ben expressed any interest in a JoJo Part 5 spoiler mode? I know that ben and kyle have been watching it as it airs, so i was just curious. P.S. Do you plan on checking out any of the glinny's cauldron gamejam submissions? I know that you're super busy but I recommend having a look at them as they're all very cool (there's even one that features you as the protagonist!) Thanks
Jesse Nye
2019-07-13 04:41:34 +0000 UTCHey Jones the accidentally calling your child by your pet's name is totally a thing, no biggie!
Alec Church
2019-07-13 02:23:28 +0000 UTCSafety Post
Happy Gaming
2019-07-13 02:05:23 +0000 UTCBusiness Question Hey there Jones, I wanted to avoid asking too many baby or parenting questions, as I felt it appropriate to keep your private life as private as possible. I had a cool idea today though; as you'll probably be spending more time being a dad and helping your little guy grow up in between helping out with EZA, what are the chances you would be interested in making a new series about being a new parent while playing games, and providing tips for new parents who play games? This would allow you to keep Milo out of the spotlight but still shed a light on the topic of playing games while parenting for new parents, talking about difficulties and strategies for finding time for your favorite hobby. I've read articles here and there, but I feel it's a market of people that gets tapped into less than the 'hardcore' crowd. It could be called EZ Daddies or EZ Parents or something similar, and could shed a spotlight on tricks for parents finding time to play games while juggling time with an infant, maybe about baby proofing your game room setup among other things. This would also allow your unique voice as a parent to shine. I imagine you'll be spending less time at the studio, and it would be a good chance to write some things based on the experiences you're going through on a day to day basis to entertain and educate future or current gaming parents and also make more content at the same time. Amanda could even join in too to make it a Spouse Quest type show where you each give stories and scenarios from your own perspectives! What are your thoughts?
Happy Gaming
2019-07-13 02:05:13 +0000 UTCI saw you hyphenated your son's last name. Is there a reason for this? I've known 2 people in my life with hyphenated last names, and they were annoyed that their parents did this, and swore they would never do it to their own kids. I've also noticed you always call your wife by her maiden name, so I'm guessing this is her own personal hang up...?
aguynamedjosh
2019-07-12 21:51:56 +0000 UTCMr. Jones, Last week you asked for for the audience to not hold back and to ask some more personal questions, that it was the time to ask really weird questions to push the boundaries for the sake of creativity. So for the sake of creativity will you take a moment to ask 3 pointed questions to the audience that will evoke a response. You could ask survey questions to improve the business, ask for father/husband tips to improve your already great relations, ask personal questions to get to know us better, ask something superficial to keep us all at arms length, or whatever your heart desires. (Breaks vase with fire poker) Now you wanna get nuts? ..........C'mon, let's get nuts! Respectfully, Morgan Mohalla
Morgan Mohalla
2019-07-12 20:16:35 +0000 UTCSave
Varun Kachhwaha
2019-07-12 18:42:33 +0000 UTCHello Brandon – Have you thought about implementing some sort of fail safe in regards to your recordings? I know that there have been several recordings which either did not capture audio or video & audio both entirely, which caused reshoots & schedule constraints for your crew. I am not sure how you set up your recordings, but perhaps adding some sort of second device in case one fails or something similar can be done? Maybe something as simple as getting a small monitor for the host of a podcast or show to check on every once in awhile to ensure the recording is being done correctly. L&R! - Rammer
Rammer
2019-07-12 17:55:11 +0000 UTCI hope if they do address goals, they don't forget reward tiers would benefit from a refresher too! Smoother progression. $1 exclusive shows, $2 polls, $4 early access, $6 L&R\Friend code submissions, ect.
Matt Brookbank
2019-07-12 11:36:49 +0000 UTCWe are talking about having someone come out and take a look, but at the same time, the issues you're referencing aren't due to a regular ongoing problem. We didn't run across many issues before E3, and the biggest problems during the show came down to neighborhood-wide network outages, not just an issue related to our office or building. The issues this last Tuesday came up because the computer we were streaming from started running additional uploads in the background, which we identified and stopped, restoring things to normal. So yes, there have been some problems lately and we do want to see if there's anything that can be improved, but I don't think it's gotten out of hand. These are minor frustrations, and sometimes these things still happen despite anything anyone could have done. -Bloodworth
Easy Allies
2019-07-12 05:48:43 +0000 UTCHey Jones, I’m wondering what the deal will be with the PO Box while you’re on leave. Will other allies be able to pick stuff up? I’m getting ready to send something but I want to make sure I address it correctly. Thanks, L&R. (P. S. My last name is pronounced like key, not knee, as you said on the June showcase lol. I couldn’t keep myself from adding this even though it’s mostly irrelevant)
Elliette Kee
2019-07-11 22:21:04 +0000 UTCJones, I really like Ben's interview with Kondo-san from Nihon Falcolm. Are you guys planning to do more interview like this since you have the studio now. Would love to see more interviews like this.
strawhatninja
2019-07-11 21:51:43 +0000 UTCBusiness question: hello jones i usually dont comment on this because I dont feel compelled to give you any sort of problem but I believe the internet issue has gotten out of hand...i rewatched the tuesday night stream and internet issues again. I know they will happen but there are also many videos that have been affected by the internet like the whole start of the conference of square enix. I would like to just know if you guys are not just saying you are going to do things about it but actually calling the company and having them go there to see whats wrong. I know this sentiment has already been expressed. I just want your shows to always be the best and hate that the internet might get in the way of something bigger for you guys in the future. I always wish you the best. L&R
Isaias Sanchez
2019-07-11 20:37:18 +0000 UTCBlair witch project spoilers..... ....... on the latest podcast you had a hot take that the Blair witch project (first movie) didn't hold up and mentioned you thought that "the Blair witch hates people so much that she just stands back in the trees and watches people suffer". I might agree with your take if I agreed with your interpretation that that's what the movie is. I agree with the other interpretation though, there is no Blair Witch, the female protagonist is actually murdered (intentionally or not) by her ex in the woods after she was lured out there by the legend of the Blair witch. The other guy was the ex's buddy and though they were just trying to scare her. Then they hid the film reels to cover the murder up, but the film company found them and took the take you had on it. The film is much more interesting as a covered up murder than a monster that stands in the woods. Any way, I just wondered if you were even aware of that interpretation. L&R Matt
Matt Brookbank
2019-07-11 11:21:02 +0000 UTCHey Jones Have you been following Kyle making a gameboy game?
Kola Aina
2019-07-11 06:06:24 +0000 UTCHope the baby prep is going well Jones! One of my favorite times of Easy Allies is the Hall of Greats because I love the Pro Football Hall of Fame process and all that wonderful stuff! So, how do you specifically prepare for a Hall of Greats? How much do you play the game prior, if at all? What would researching for your speech look like? Excited to see your and everyone's nominee! Especially since you seem excited about the prospect of yours!
Joey Bruno
2019-07-11 01:43:42 +0000 UTCHey Jones, After watching the latest spoiler mode on stranger things I can't help that notice that all the guests that are on EZA shows always have phenomenal chemistry with the rest of the allies, with that said its pretty much only the shows that Ian "runs" for lack of a better word that ever seem to see guests, with the podcast only ever actually having one guest appearance. I acknowledge that there have probably been more seeing as I don't watch EVERY show (Frame Trap and Friend Code being notable exceptions) I just couldn't help but think that there's a lot more room for collaboration on your shows and I don't think there's ever been a negative reaction to a guest as far as I know. I know its more down to the person who runs the show to decide, Just saying that I love seeing you guys bringing people in and hope to see more of it!
Georgia Burrows
2019-07-11 00:58:07 +0000 UTCBrandon - A while back I mentioned The Last Starfighter Musical and now I MUST see it performed! I figure that I need to somehow find a school or local theater to perform it. How does one produce a musical and have you ever taken on such an endeavor?
Jason Walstrom
2019-07-10 22:18:32 +0000 UTCHey Jones, you mentioned making the Easy Livin promo for showing during E3. I missed that completely, didn't even know a date was set. Where is the video on Youtube? I can't find the promo. Did it not get uploaded or am I blind and bad at searching? Thanks :)
BeardedScotsman86
2019-07-10 16:57:05 +0000 UTCHi Jones, I posed this question in the June Q&A but they stopped ONE QUESTION before mine =( So I'll pose it to you and you can answer it for as long as you want =) Now that E3 is over, the next big project to look forward to is Easy Livin’. I have been watching your 2017 & 2018 EL streams because though I wasn’t a patron at the time, I wanted to go back and see the first and second, prior to this new one in July. I love watching the interactions between the allies and the cozy vibes, from the Bloodborne co-op to the blanket sharing, to the bits about how Yakuza 0 is like the Souls games, to scolding about water bottles. My question to you is what is your favorite memory from a previous Easy Livin that WASN’T caught on camera? Something in the kitchen or bedroom or yard that cracked you up but chat totally missed out on? L&R @Jessie_Blu_
JessieBlu
2019-07-10 13:09:49 +0000 UTCGood Morning, Brandon! Got a personal question for ya that’s been banging around in my head for a while now. My editor buddy got me into a somewhat exclusive RTX party last year. We were a group of four surrounded by famous streamers and youtubers. While the group had a hard time chatting with these famous folks, I didn’t. I initially brushed it off thinking it was simply because I didn’t know any of these famous people. While that may be true, this was still odd because my group has never had a problem chatting up movie stars at AFF or famous musicians at SXSW. It finally dawned on me that internet celebrities are a significantly different breed of celebrity. When I met Matthew McConaughey, we were both meeting each other for the first time. It was equal footing. I adore Paul McCartney but I don't feel as though I've met him. However, I feel like I met you and Bloodworth over a decade ago. I feel like the other allies are friends from college. But that’s simply not true. From where you’re sitting, how do you handle this when meeting people for the first time? What is really happening with the conversation when one party knows your mannerisms, your sense of humor, hell - even the name of your newborn baby, but you know nothing about them? Is a friendship really pheasible at that point? Do you find yourself gravitating towards other industry professionals and people who DON’T know you?
Matt McCarthy
2019-07-09 22:05:03 +0000 UTCPersonal Question: Hey Papa Jones, what are your feelings on Julie Andrews? Personally, growing up Victor Victoria was one of my favourite movies, I'd watch it with my mom all the time. I also enjoyed Star, S.O.B. and of course Mary Poppins - but never really liked Sound of Music that much in particular.
David Warren
2019-07-09 20:19:50 +0000 UTCHey Jones, during the last Q&A the guys mentioned how, very early on, you had a discussion about the tone and language EZA uses (mainly in terms of swearing). And I wanted to hear a little more about that. Could you maybe talk about EZAs over all "tone". It seems to me that EZA pretty deliberately distanced itself from the way GT used to be, in terms of swearing and overall attitude. Invisible Walls, with Marcus and Shane, was a pretty sweary and "bro-y" affair, which had its own charm, but is certainly very different to EZA's very clean tone. What is your opinion on the overall tone GT had and did you make a deliberate effort to pull EZA in a different direction. Without pointing out anyone in particular, do you think EZA would've worked/be different if some of the more "blue" and controversial GT personalities had been there during the last days of GT. Oh and my name is usually pronounced like you would pronounce Dennis.
Deniz Schreiber
2019-07-09 18:14:47 +0000 UTCThat's the beauty of spiderman and why he was so many of ours favorite hero growing up. Hes the most relatable. Love and respect!
Old Hunter Zerah
2019-07-09 15:32:57 +0000 UTCMorning Jones! I'm curious if there are any plans for any fundraisers this year? Last year's Better Stuff Before E3 was a magnificent success, not only for the purposes of buying new equipment, but also for providing a substantial boost to the numbers on Patreon. It triggered a dramatic increase in the total number of patrons, and the way I see it, pushed us to the $50k goal, and to the new studio. With patronage dipping recently, perhaps it is time for another drive! Maybe with the goal of sending some of the Allies to cover a games conference abroad (PAX East, please!), or to fund another dream of yours that lies outside of the current Patreon goals. A charity drive, too, can be an great opportunity for growth. I think having an event of this sort annually is an excellent way to reinvigorate us patrons, bring in new donors, and to continue to build hype for the future of EZA. L&R, Brian.
Brian Denu
2019-07-09 13:49:20 +0000 UTCHello Brandon. Earlier this year I’ve got a chance to see all Marvel’s Cinematic Universe films (I’ve got a free month subscription to a video service that has these movies) and I liked all main heroes, except one – Spider-Man. My main problem with Spider-Man: Homecoming is that it can’t decide whether it’s a superhero movie or a high-school movie and you can’t be both. Either the movie has a hero who is ready to make tough choices and worries about others before himself, or the movie has a hero who is constantly worrying about what others will think about him and therefore can’t perform even a simple action like going to a friend’s party. Judging by box office my opinion isn’t very popular. Maybe it’s because I know next to nothing about Spider-Man (I played recent Insomniac’s game, saw MCU movies and early 2000 movie trilogy and that’s it). You on the other hand is a big Spider-Man fan and none of the above seems to bother you. Can you please explain why hesitant high schooler can be a superhero?
Alexander Zyryanov
2019-07-09 12:57:55 +0000 UTCsafety post
Snowcone Guy
2019-07-09 09:55:58 +0000 UTCHello Jones! I'd like to know what kind of a parent you would be. (If Amanda should be there, I'd love to hear her thoughts as well!) Here are a few scenarios, answer as many or as little as you want. 1. Your son is caught stealing something. How do you approach the situation? 2. You notice your son stepping on ants on purpose. How do you approach the situation? 3. You are shopping in the super market and your son wants to put something in the shopping cart that you disallowed him to have. He has the intention to get his will with the power of crying, if necessary. How do you approach the situation? 4. Your son wants you to buy him something that all of his friends own, even though you deem it overpriced and negative. How do you approach the situation? 5. Your son gets unsupervised access to the internet for the first time. But that would mean that he could potentially see hateful, violent or sexual content that you don't want him to be influenced by. How do you approach the situation? 6. Your son has a new best friend. But that kid is on a really bad track, as it's swearing, doing vandalism, it steals, and has hateful opinions. As the kid is your son's best friend, forbidding to see that kid would lead to a tantrum and would be hard to supervise. How do you approach the situation? 7. Your son approaches you to tell you that he feels more like a girl than a boy. How do you approach the situation? If you support him, how far would you go? (Hormones, etc.) 8. Your son gets bullied by another kid on it's way home from school. He's afraid to be labelled a snitch, and you are afraid that he learns the lesson that violence could be an approach to confrontations. How to you help your son out of this situations without influencing your son to either add violence to his toolbox, or becoming someone that others push around for the rest of his life? 9. Your son wants to see a certain movie. You know the movie is really good, but it's also R-rated, and he's still years away from becoming an adult. There is the risk of him becoming scared and having nightmares, but also the chance to influence his taste in movies in a way that you potentially like. And perhaps you know that you yourself saw some R-rated movies as a kid, and are happy that you did so. How do you approach the situation? 10. You notice your son becoming interested in Weed. How do you approach the situation? 11. Your son picked up some nonsense from other kids or the internet. Let's say it's a 9/11 conspiracy or some antisemitic propaganda. How do you approach the situation? 12. Your son was begging you for half a year, that he wants to learn how to play the guitar. Finally, you buy him a great starter kit and get him a teacher. Two weeks later, when he hits a wall, you notice that he's no longer practicing, he's not going to his lessons, and he tells you that he wants to quit already. How do you approach the situation? Sorry if those examples are mostly negative (with the exemption of the sexual identity question), but I thought a scenario where your son is getting straight As and wants to mow your elderly neighbor's lawn wouldn't be quite as hard a challenge in terms of how to teach and shape him with your actions.
Snowcone Guy
2019-07-09 09:55:33 +0000 UTCsafety post
Kexx
2019-07-09 05:52:25 +0000 UTCHello Jones! First of all, congrats on the baby, fantastic news! Question: if you could only have 1 of the following, what would you pick? FF6 remake (same treatment 7 is getting) FF16 PS: Blood, feel free to answer as well, would love to hear what you think too!
Kexx
2019-07-09 05:52:11 +0000 UTCHey Jones, Nothing wrong with loving Phantom of the Opera. It's one of the first cast albums I owned (thank you, Columbia House!) and I still have a lot of affection for it. Side story: I got to see the original Raoul - Steve Barton - perform as Sweeney Todd on a school trip once. My friend and I almost missed the bus back because I stayed to meet him and get his autograph. Bonus question: Besides Chicago, what are your top five movie musicals? (See? I'll still be around!)
Asbo Zappruder
2019-07-09 01:40:53 +0000 UTCI think you could be looking at the issue from the wrong direction. The lack of streams this week isn't necessarily due to any reviews in the works, it's because half the people who would stream are simply unavailable. Brandon, Huber, and myself simply aren't in a position to stream this week. Ian and Don rarely ever do streams. That only leaves Damiani (who has been streaming a ton while working on his Shadowbringers review) and Brad. In terms of your question though, yes streams are the first thing to go when things get busy, and yes it certainly is worth it. Reviews are important for a variety of reasons. Shows are very important to keep on schedule, and of course I backed away from any non-essential streams when it came time to focus on locking down E3 plans, etc. While streaming is relatively simple, it can still take a significant amount of time and focus away from someone's day, and it's all about managing time and priorities for what's most important. -Bloodworth
Easy Allies
2019-07-09 01:10:13 +0000 UTCMr. Jones, what do you think about the lack of streams? is it worth it to have multiple reviews and shootings and almost no streams during the week, not including Kyle who almost every week streams on friday, the week of july 8th, the week of writing this question there are only 3 streams, 2 from Ben and 1 from Kyle, i'm not counting the group stream because it's the only constant stream of EZA. i understand the amount of work and proyects the allies wants to do, but my final question is, is it worth it?
Daniel Garza Andrade
2019-07-08 22:36:56 +0000 UTCI need to write all my comments in a doc before posting them... One thing my therapist suggested regarding using a to do list to fight depression/anxiety was to also make a list of what you've DONE during the day/week. The cross-out list leaves you feeling anxious about everything that's left... the DONE list helps give you a concrete pick-me-up at the end of the day to remind yourself that you WERE productive. I'll shut up now.
Corrigall
2019-07-08 21:46:22 +0000 UTCP.S. everything at Easy A is going to be fine without you, and everything is going to work out great at home. You are and will continue to be an AMAZING dad.
Corrigall
2019-07-08 21:11:54 +0000 UTCHey Jones, My wife and I had similar questions about our own boy: "Is he always going to be this chill?" Tracy Hogg's "The Baby Whisperer" was a Godsend for helping us figure out his personality, his vocal cues, and how to get him into healthy sleeping patterns. Worth EVERY PENNY (or trip to the local library). Got it from my sister-in-laws, whose kids were... less chill. ;)
Corrigall
2019-07-08 21:07:25 +0000 UTCBaby Brain! Its a real thing, when newborn babies and small children drain you of any ability to remember things or make rational decisions. I know because it has happened to me. But i managed to stay sharp thanks to Brain Age on the DS :)
Ozzypinapple
2019-07-08 20:24:15 +0000 UTCHey Brandon! Since you guys haven't truly done much to really rethink parts of the Patreon lately, have you ever thought about Damiani's Criticism and thought on different things in more recent streams to do with the Patreon? like shows being tied to goals and such as of late? There's been a bit of a concern that certain Patreon goals aren't truly being seen as enticing to potential patrons, and that the Patreon is in need of an overhaul. Not to mention a growing concern that the Full Playthroughs are too wanted by the allies to keep as a goal much like when Mysterious Monsters finally happened. Just thought I'd bring this question to you since Damiani really opened my eyes towards important changes that your operation's Patreon needs honestly and feel you deserved to be asked about it.
DinoPulse
2019-07-08 18:28:20 +0000 UTCHey Mr. Jones! On the most recent Trailer Jones, I noticed you made the window displaying the DeathLoop trailer bigger than normal, but kept the panelists a nice focus, still larger than the trailer and it’s an appealing layout. My question is if EZA as a whole would consider this particular framing for any future reactions or content, with the only change being moving the window to one side of the screen while the remaining space in the bottom corner could be filled with a live shot of the stream room or control room? Or is having the graphics (The Easy Allies logo, the call to action to Patreon, etc.) too important to change the current layout that changing it up would be too much of a hassle? Much like my last question about Trailer Jones, I’m totally cool with a no. Either way, thanks again for taking my question and have a wonderful rest of your day! Cheers! P.S.: Speaking only for myself, no matter how dry you think Top 10s deliberations are to record, I would definitely watch them if EZA does do those in the future!
Brandon K Gann
2019-07-08 18:18:48 +0000 UTCbark
Master Pantz
2019-07-08 18:09:52 +0000 UTCHow do your pets react before, during, and after earthquakes? Did they feel the recent ones?
Master Pantz
2019-07-08 18:09:37 +0000 UTCHey Jones always hearing you talk about how much you love bow combat I was curious to hear your take on Dragon Age Inquisition’s archery combat. I typically don’t like bow or mage classes but Inquisition has such punchy and satisfying feeling combat that I had a blast trying out both. Curious to hear your thoughts.
Andrew Burt
2019-07-08 18:02:32 +0000 UTCHi
Mikehook1
2019-07-08 17:23:30 +0000 UTCI was watching Wimbledon when I noticed that Rodger Federer, perhaps the biggest tennis player of all time, was wearing Uniqlo clothing. It was a moment for me where I definitely underestimated the size of a sponsor on the podcast. And one place where I didn't expect one to pop up. Have you ever had a moment where you were surprised by the size of a sponsor, or an unusual place where you saw a sponsors product in real life? Also mentioning the Gregory Huber memorial fund (https://www.gofundme.com/gregory-huber-memorial-fund) just in case anyone missed it.
Varun Kachhwaha
2019-07-08 17:00:52 +0000 UTC
