Cup of Jones - December 6, 2018

Hi, Brandon. I had another post planned for this week, but I realized at the end that I should put in a little more work. In this process, I came to think about 2018 and I would like to know if you can name all the games you've played in 2018 - or at least the ones you remember, and if you can say something about each - one sentence or one word is fine? Sorry for this being a "2nd question", though feel free to ignore it if it breaks the rules. What other 2018 games are you planning to finish before the EZA GOTY discussions and possibly after? Also, I'm not sure if this is the last Cup of Jones of the year, and please let us know if it is and if you have a date planned/in mind for the first Cup of Jones of 2019. If this is the last Cup of Jones of 2018, I wish you, Amanda, the Allies, the community and everyone's families a very warm "Happy Holidays!". Love & Respect

Daniel Ribeiro

Q: Hall of Greats Induction 8 when? D: Probably missing Q4 2018 unless there's some shady backdoor deals about how EZA's fiscal year ends Jan 31 and their fiduciary duty is only to complete Hall of Greats inductions according to their fiscal year.

PKFC

Hey Jones! Hopefully I’m not too late. After watching Ben’s review of Fallout 76, which received a 2.0, I was wondering- How bad does a game have to be to receive a 1.0? Although I believe and agree with the score, I can’t imagine what a worse game (that would actually be reviewed) would look like. Do you think it’s possible for a AAA game to receive an EZA 1.0, simply for the fact that the budget will likely allow *something* to be redeemable? Is an EZA 1.0 “not allowed” in the same way a GT 10.0 wasn’t allowed, because no game is truly “the worst”? Is 1.0 even the lowest score, or is there a 0.0 - 0.9 as well? Do you have any examples in your gaming past that you could assign a score like that? Does a 2.0 mean that the Fallout 76 “experience” was still 20% good?? Basically, with how frustrated Ben seemed with his time with Fallout 76, and how actually broken the game is despite being full priced, I’m now super curious what a whole 2.0 worse looks like! Haha L&R, and happy holidays to you and the other Allies! TAHK0

TAHK0

Will the wrestling chair move with you into the new studio?

Evan Charles Teague

Hey Jones, Personal question: Since you have been in game journalism for a long time I was wondering what are some personal thoughts about the industry as a whole. Like what are some personal criticisms you have about game journalism you hope to see change. And vice versa, what do you personally feel like the industry has gotten right over the years. Thanks, Chris Eyerly

Chris Eyerly

I realise this question is super late and might not make it into the episode this week, but I'm currently binge watching Tabletop Escapades and noted how it often seems like a minor struggle for Ben to keep up with player placement. Having DM'd before myself I can't imagine playing the way he is without getting totally lost. Then it dawned on me that the studio is now a thing that's happening soon. So my question is would it be possible with the added space the studio brings to include a tabletop playing board with miniatures for everyone to pick up and move around? Being Ben's show this is totally up to him, and perhaps doing things the way he has been for so long only to change the formula might be too much to ask of him. But are there any plans to take advantage of the blessing of size the studio brings for shows like Tabletop?

Hey Jones, I was wondering how you felt about linking out one or two Patreon exclusive videos. There are some things you guys put out that I know some friends of mine would like and would get most likely get them to support you all on Patreon. However it feels a little icky to give someone free content that we all pay for. Is there a line we shouldn't be crossing here?

Rory McGuire

In a previous episode you mentioned that you are probably going to put episodes of Full Playthrough Fridays on Easy Allies Plays. Personally, I think you guys should reconsider. In fact, here’s my top 4 reasons why Full Playthrough Fridays should be on your main channel: 4. Full Playthrough Friday is a show. It was introduced at Easy Living and on your Youtube promo as a show. Every other show that you do, especially ones tied to a stretch goal, is on your main channel. 3. Since putting Easy Allies Clips on hiatus, you really don’t have any content on your main channel that promotes your Twitch channel or Easy Allies Plays. Monthly Full Playthrough Friday episodes could be a convenient way to do this without clogging you main channel with various streams. 2. This would give your main channel even more diversity. I love that you put out so much quality content for many tastes and the game show looks fantastic by the way. But the only public videos on your main channel of just you guys playing a game are Tabletop, right? This move would give your main channel something that it may be currently lacking. And I believe this way the episodes would really stand out. 1. Your main channel has two hundred thousand subscribers (congratulations), Easy Allies Plays has 26 thousand. When you are going to put hours and hours of your time in completing a game in one sitting, why not share it with the largest possible audience? Especially if you would like to leave the door open for sponsors. Just my two cents. As always, with love and respect, the_finnish_ally

the_finnish_ally

Hey Jones. Congrats to you and the rest of the Allies on finally getting that studio. I had a question regarding the the debut of the new studio. When the time finally comes to debut the studio in a group stream or whatever is ultimately chosen, will there be a promo vid made prior to the unveiling? Not only will it serve as a reminder of current patrons and fans who are eagerly waiting to see the new studio but it will also entice possible newcomers to check you guys out and possible become patrons themselves. Just a thought.

Karl Williams

Also happy to hear them try out pre-recorded deliberations. The time crunch on last year's deliberations stream felt like it hampered anything other than the overall GOTY discussion to some degree.

Kirbu

Hey Jones! All I need is the Brandon Jones hot take on Epic Mickey on Wii. L&R!

Jeremy Ferris

Hi Brandon- First off I just wanted to say that the playtest of the Huber Game show: Mysterious Monsters is absolutely exciting to see! Ian & the allies’ vision of the product is amazing and I can see everyone’s passion bleed through its creation. I also understand that this is not the final product and many things are still changing. Here are two main takeaways that you can either take or leave at your discretion: There may be too many rules: I was having a hard time keeping track of what effects each item had and what items everyone had in their inventory. Perhaps a smaller/simpler set of items can help avoid confusion to viewers. Double attack, combos, etc. seemed excessively complex, at least for me to keep track of. Rounds are too similar: Other than the change in questions (creatures) there was no real change in the way the game was played. Perhaps a small “up the ante” as the rounds progress can help liven the show. This may also help last place contestants achieve a comeback. Also, I understand this is mainly a trivia game, but perhaps having a round just dedicated to completing a task or challenge will help keep the show fresh. For example, a round could consist of each contestant playing a snippet of a video game level (themed after monsters of course) and completing said level for gold. Anyway, regardless of some of the points I wanted to add above, I think this show’s vision is overall great & absolutely something I am looking forward to! Love & Respect!

Rammer

Hey Jones, This doesn’t really need to be answered because you’ll probably be sick of talking about GOTY stuff soon enough, but on the group stream you mentioned that the deliberations would be pre-recorded this year. While I’m very much in favour of that idea, I just wanted to add that I hope they will be left pretty raw, as in, I hope they don’t end up being overly edited, or shortened just to keep the video/videos inside of some artificial time limit.

BeatenDownBrian

Also, could we still have an audio version of this uploaded to the podcast feed please?

Hi Jones. Day one patron, first time commenter here. Have you watched many British tv shows? Specifically, have you ever watched Red Dwarf or Spaced? The former is a long running sci-fi comedy. The latter was done by Edgar Wright of Shaun of the Dead fame, and contains lots of video game and movie references i’m sure you will enjoy. Check them out with all the lovely free time you are enjoying!

Hello Jones! Besides the Podcasts of Easy Allies, the only other podcast that I watch is the Nintendo Voice Chat from IGN. And there is one big difference for me: The NVC often shows videos of the games they are talking about on the screen. I think this is a very good feature, as it is a good reminder of what the mentioned game looked like, as well as something for the eyes of the viewers. When asked for this feature in the past, you (the Allies) said that it's not possible. But with the new studio coming up, I would like you to reevaluate the possibility. If you need to make a fundamental change in how you record your podcasts, this would be a great timing. After all, you said our favorite shows would come back better than ever. I don't know the details of how you currently record the podcast, or what tools Ian will use in the control room, but as I understand it, you currently would have to edit in the game footage in post. There should be a solution for you to record the Podcast "live on tape". It would mean some preparation and changes. The sponsors would no longer have to be read in random order, if Ian is playing their clips live during the recording. And obviously you have to collect your b-roll footage of games into a database and make little 30-60 second loops of it, so Ian can quickly pull something up, if you mention a game. But all this work would probably pay off in the long term, as you would massively save on editing time after you recorded an episode. You possibly could even release the podcasts sooner after recording them. And who knows - maybe if you research the necessary technical requirements, it turns out to be less complicated that you thought. And the skills and capabilities that you would gain, will surely come in handy at some point later, making the whole of EZA better. Snowcone Guy

Snowcone Guy

huber syndrome is pretty cool for that, he interviews each of the members about things you mention.

nabs

Personal Question: I think a really cool game idea would be Mario Maker 64: a 3D level creator with Mario 64 assets. Do you think this game is possible, and what are some potential challenges Nintendo might face if they decided to develop this title?

Swet T.

Hi Jones I miss voting for stuff. I know Group Stream Selection Committee was kind of a mess but do you think you'll ever bring back the system you had before that where you guys pick a couple of games for the community to vote on? It doesn't even need to be every week - once a month would be great. Voting on the tournament stream would be awesome.

Olf Himself

Personal question: Should we be worried about a lot of the Square Enix studios? Seems like the last time they had a hit was Nier and FF15. Just Cause, Deus Ex, Tomb Raider all sound like they've bombed hard, dropping hitman, I'm certainly worried that we may see some western studios on the chopping block.

Greetings, I hope you are looking forward to a well-deserved vacation and a jolly holiday with family. I am writing regarding this year’s game awards and like many others I was excited and proud of the show that many have poured their time and hearts into. The game industry as a whole has come a long way from the Spike TV, Mt. Dew innuendos that have been placed and I think The Game Awards has done an exceptional job showcasing the talents of so many creators in a light that warrants sincere prestige and admirability. My question is this, with The Game Awards recording at least 11 million viewers do those numbers quantify viewers that are watching through third party streams? In short does that 11 mill. incorporate viewers watching through an Easy Allies stream? Although I do not know the answer, personally, my wife and I watch the awards live straight through the stream. The next day I’ll rewatch it again but this time I’ll watch the Easy Allies post. Both are enjoyable and both are hours of equal but different enjoyment. Overall I want to ensure I am giving my views to both parties without the other cancelling out. Hope this isn’t a too jumbled question. Thank you for all that you and the Allies do, I am proud to be a Patreon supporter.

Christopher McClung

No audio version yet?

Jordan Buitendyk

Hey rob, this has actually been done before with their podcast at least. they actually saw a drop in ratings. I think they took about 2 months with the change and switched back to the standard title and thumbnail and their viewership actually grew back to its usual amounts. As for your overall post, I think it’s presumptuous, but there is some truth in that creating more relevant keywords with current trending topics might algorithmically feed users easy allies content by using “clickbait”. Maybe they can experiment a bit more with their other shows and see what sticks and what doesn’t. YouTube’s algorithms are still a mystery unfortunately as none of their data is made public even to their biggest channels. Love and respect!

Rammer

As a relatively newcomer (past 6 months) to EZA and a fan of movies/TV/comics with deep mythologies and origins, could I ask that we get an EZA Origins podcast at some point that looks at each Ally’s origin story — how they got into gaming, came into GT, etc — and how they got brought into EZA?

Austeel

Hey Jones, With GOTYs around the corner, I wanted to submit an idea for an award. This is the "Make it Right" award, given to a game from recent history that may not have gotten the love it deserved at the time, but now that more people have gotten a chance to play it, it's time to make it right and give some props. Yes, this is purely based off how much everyone ignored Night in the Woods last year. Seriously, not nominated for Best Sidescroller? As for an actual question, will you guys be revisiting the 2018 predictions you made along with 2019 predictions? L&R

Kate Bishop

(Personal) Before discovering Easy Allies, I got by playing the NHLs and the Skyrim Special Editions of the world. Frame Trap and general EZA exposure have introduced me to titles like The Witcher 3, Inside, Journey, Life is Strange, Monster Hunter World, The Last Guardian, The Last of Us, Uncharted, God of War, Hollow Knight and more. Many of these stunners impacted me greatly. Thank you for that! My question—knowing full well you’re in the industry and less goes unnoticed by you—is this: What are some of the most impactful games you’ve played that you might never have touched were it not for someone’s recommendation? P.S. I’m fist-bumping you from the east coast about the studio!

Zachary Jennings

Suggestion: Live Q&A Clean-Up Crew You could have just one or two people finish off the Q&A questions that didn't have a chance to get read due to the 2 hour limitation of the Live Q&A. They could either stick around at the end or do it at a later date when it's convenient. Even if it was rapid fire, it would be better than nothing. Just a suggestion!

Master Pantz

You guys need to do SEO in your video titles and descriptions. As an internet marketer, it pains me to see you guys work so hard, yet throwing thousands of dollars and subscribers away every month by ignoring the most important, yet easy part of growing a youtube channel. All you have to do is quickly and creatively add buzz words in the video title and description (the title is much more important), and then switch the position of the normal title with the buzzword filled sentence so that buzzwords appear first. For example, instead of "Easy Allies Podcast #138 - 11/14/18" it should be "Is Nintendo CEO Reggie Fils-Aime's body finally ready?" or whatever the hot news of the week is. This will automatically boost your rankings based on googles algorithms because current news is relevant and there are already hundreds of videos named "Easy Allies Podcast. After making these simple changes, you'll see massive instant growth of your subscriber base and earnings right away. Have you ever wondered why Easy Allies has less than 200,000 subscribers while less talented channels rocket past it every day? This is why. Recently, a new channel called "Girlfriend Reviews" has made it to 133k subscribers in less than 2 weeks and with only 4 videos. Her content is great, but more importantly to growth, the basic "Should your boyfriend play x game" title of each of her videos is enticing, it lures people in to clicking on it to either hate on the content, or gain information. The words "Friend Code" or "Huber Syndrome" don't mean anything to someone who isn't an Allies fan, and they mean even less to the Youtube algorithm. I'm not trying to bust your balls here, but if you reply with "We need an expert" or "There isn't enough time or resources" I'm gonna jump through the screen and give you a paddlin'. It's the easiest thing you guys can do to guarantee growth, so just do it mm'kay? It's your fiduciary duty.

Robert A Iglehart

Congratulations everyone! Have you considered another donation stream for better equipment/other upgrades for the studio?

As often as this word is used these days it pretty much has no meaning, but I think at most this top ten could be labeled as "controversial". I see how the video could be construed as having a negative tone but besides maybe angering fans of Smash, I don't see how this video is impactful to the point of potentially endangering their brand as you seem to describe it ( Any video can have that effect, in fact EZUpdate has gotten similar responses to what you describe as first time viewers reaction). I personally find it strikes a good balance to the more often positive vibes, as it is unique from their usual output but in no way could be considered personally harmful to any individual (unless differing opinions are a trigger, in which case YouTube is not the platform for that individual). Genuine opinions are a good thing even if they are disagreeable because it shows that EZA are not just another internet corporation chasing hits, but real human beings.

WarmFeelings

Hi Jones, I know it has been a long time since I post one of these. First of all, congratulations on getting the studio. It has been a long time coming. I have taken my own time playing Red Dead Redemption 2 and I would like to know in your opinion, which character from Arthur Morgan’s gang that you feel closely related to and if possible, if any of the other gang members are considered similar to the allies, in terms of their personalities. Thank You

Hey there Brandon, how are you? Getting enough sleep, I hope. A long while back you acknowledged that based on the overall monthly pledge you were able to employ yourself, Ben, and Damiani as full-time staff, if I’m recalling correctly. Has that changed at all in the intervening time, or do the remaining Allies still occupy a “part-time” status? If you’re at liberty to say, what pledge benchmark would be needed to bring on another of the existing Allies into full-time status, and what’s that conversation like to have with the Allies? As always, Mad Love and Huge Respect, Eric, P.s. Congrats again on the studio.

Eric Jackson

Congratulations on the studio! It's been a while since I've written in to one of these, and I'm sad that it has to be regarding another Top 10 List, but the Top 10 Characters Who Don't Deserve to Be In Smash list at best is a joke for people who are already fans of you guys, and at worst could be a turnoff to new fans. I'm aware that the list is to be taken in good fun, and I was fully aware of what I was getting into, but I still came out of this with a bad taste in my mouth. (Also, like half that list is way more deserving than Fire Emblem clone #6, but that's nitpicking choices and I don't want to do that again) A big thing to remember is that every video will be someone's first. A viewer watching this as their introduction to EasyAllies will either get a poor first impression of the channel, or one that, generally, doesn't match the tone of the channel at large. Either way, this may cost a prospective viewer who will either want to see more of the same or not wish to see more content as negative on games they like. It is disappointing to me that a series that, to this point, has been about exulting the best virtues of video games has an entry that, quite frankly, displays the worst tendencies of the people playing the games. Fans complaining about x person getting (or not getting) into the fighting game they enjoy has been an embarrassing black mark on gaming (just look at the Waluigi kerfuffle this year when he was revealed as an assist trophy). I hope you can do better in the future. Still, all the L&R in the world. Anthony

AC

Crazy guerilla videos, heck YES please!

Matt Brookbank

Hey Jones I know you get these kind of requests a lot. So here's mine. I would love to see you collaborate with Pat Contri aka Pat the NES punk. He has a podcast where he talks to people in the video game Youtube scene. I have commented this to him and he seems to be into it. I totally understand if this doesn't end up happening but I had to mention it just in case. L&R

Blade Kasper

Thanks for your answer, Jones. I asked it with the feeling that the tiers were pretty much set in stone. It is surprising to know you have been considering toy with them a little; just because yeah, it can turn into a revolt really easily; but it show you don't take things lightly they way you put your answer Have you ever watched Kevin Smith's "Zack & Miri make a porno"? I sure hope the thing that happens to their Star Wars based studio doesn't happen to you guys! Love & Respect. César.

César Villa

Hello, Brandon. Back in August I’ve asked you, why you wanted to review Red Dead Redemption II, since playing for the review force you to rush through the game and do some unwanted stuff for the sake of variety, which will tamper your experience. You’ve said that you will do this because you want to tell others about this game when then only begin their journey. But (if I understand correctly) when it launched nobody wanted to listen to you because of the fear of spoilers. And (if I’m not mistaken) you have regrets about rushing through this game more than you wanted. So, looking back, do you think it was the right call to review Red Dead Redemption II?

Alexander Zyryanov

Jones now that the studio is solidified, can you guys do a fund raiser for the sound proofing and studio creation? I’m sure it would be significantly easier to do that before the studio is filled with your stuff than it would be to do once you’re moved in.

Tony

Honestly started to cry watching this, no group of creators have deserved this more or worked harder, it’s a holiday miracle

I don't comment on here very often but I had to speak up and congratulate everyone on the Easy Allies team. You guys have worked your butts off and its paying off. I'm looking forward to seeing you guys in the new space creating the best damn content on the internet!

Hi Brandon, congrats again regarding the studio! Just curious about the security at the new space—will you need to add any kind of security system or cameras? Also, are you covered by standard renters’ insurance or do you need a special policy? Really lame questions, I know, but I just want to be sure you guys are protected if the worst case scenario were to happen.

Jon White

Damn having the people leasing you their studio be so excited for you guys is so incredibly heartwarming. Thats really nice.

When Jones talked about Sophie I actually got kind of emotional 💔

fuyunotabi

Very excited for the EZA Library, but can't wait to see the studio.

Cash

Congratulations!! Is there a possibility we could see an Easy Allies Daily podcast each and every weekday that runs us through the nerdy news we need to know about? I’d love a daily show of Kyle, Jones and 1 or 2 rotating guest hosts from the other Allies. I’m sure this would be a crap ton of work but think of all the smiles you’d make. Love and Respect.

Christopher Peterson

I'm so excited about the possibility of EZA Time I'll have to compete for interesting guests attention, but still ;-)

The Hashtagonist

Hey there! I’m a new patron, but I’ve been watching EZA for a little while. I decided to make the call this past Tuesday the 4th after your group stream. I was having a rough night, and watching you all play Jackbox cheered me right up. I’m already a Twitch sub, but I figured I should somehow give back in another way. My question is, if you’re able to follow these things, do you often see new patrons join directly following an event like a group stream or a betting special, are these more based on what content is offered for patrons at that moment, or is it completely random? Thanks so much for improving my night/week, have a good one.

Matthew Weinstein

Mr jones,would u give battlefront 2 a shot?

Jaylyn brooks

Jones, siftd has patreon integration on their website which is why I said it. Maybe ask Brent how much it would cost

Ibrahim Sozer

Mr. Jones happy holidays! i'm so happy for the studio and proud to be a patron, here's my question for this week: how do you feel about the security at the studio? are you going to leave consoles there?

Daniel Garza Andrade

Congrats guys I’m so happy for you! I have the most important studio question your going to get today. Does it have a Kitchen??

Megan Linart

Hey Mr. Jones! When going over the studio’s particulars, I got a wonderful mental picture of what it’ll look like, but while touching on the pros and cons of the place, I wondered: Now that EZA has a studio, will you continue to look for another space that may be better? I do NOT mean immediately finding a new space and moving in like a couple of months, but more in the vain of being in this studio for about a year and start looking for something potentially better. Or is having six rooms, each with their unique purpose, too much of a benefit to not go ahead and declare it as the permanent home for Easy Allies? Regardless, I’m still in a state of euphoria for you all! Again, CONGRATULATIONS! Thanks again for taking my questions and have a wonderful day! Cheers!

Brandon K Gann

Yo

Jaylyn brooks

Stay safe out there tonight. Hopefully, the rain will let up by then.

Professor Metal Gear

Hi

Jaylyn brooks

So excited for you guys. Its not just us patreons, its the hard work and dedication you all have brought to the table, week after week. Thank YOU! I would really love to see a lot of tours/progress videos of the studio. We all want to be along for the ride. From an empty space, to 'The Easy Allies Studio'.

Bradley Allen

I will definitely miss the garage but I look forward to everything you guys are going to be able to do and the growth that will come from it. L&R, you guys are the best.

I'm so happy for this guys. Cheers to all the good things to come. L&R ♥

BBC Chan

At the moment of writing this comment CoJ hasn't started yet but I have to say that you guys getting a studio is well deserved. Congratulations to all the Allies!

Stefan Vlemmix