Cup of Jones - October 4, 2018

Also, sorry if any of this was mentioned recently or ever. I blame selective hearing.

Jason A. Sackel

Hey, Jones! Dumb stuff. Dumb thing #1. I think in a Cup of Jones or some stream you mentioned about liking to do something on the East Coast. If I recall, you guys tossed around the idea of possibly something when Universal did the Nintendo thingy. Probably not on the priority bucket as far as budget goes, but still kicking the idea around? It could have also never been an idea and I could just be misremembering, which is more than likely. Dumb thing #2. With Adobe MAX happening next week, what new feature would you want most to be announced for Premiere, Audition, orAfter Effects? Or any CC product really. --- This is more of a FYI and not necessarily be read because it is essentially advertising and I'm not being paid for it... but, if you have any interest in watching the keynote on Monday -&gt; <a href="https://max.adobe.com/sessions/max-online/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://max.adobe.com/sessions/max-online/</a>

Jason A. Sackel

So I saw that Blood said on Twitter had to sort through quite a few clips and label them for the Forza review. I review games for my channel for fun but that is the nightmare I face when digging through 100 hours of footage and dragging them onto Premiere.How do you guys organize your game footage so that this process is more manageable? Any tips? Love and Respect btw!

Dominíc Brown

Exhibit A: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I14b-C67EXY" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I14b-C67EXY</a>

Paul Meekin

(that's a GOOD question)

Paul Meekin

Hello!!! What's the next big dream after the studio??

Sekiro505

Hi, Brandon! First of all, you nailed pronouncing my name. Thanks. As for the question, you talk a lot about your favorite Disneyland and Disney World rides and attractions, but from someone who has never seen them, it's very hard to relate. I'm sure there are others like me who know almost nothing about Disney Land and Disney World. Could you please show videos or photos from some of them? Perhaps in a future Editorial? If you can show videos and/or photos, it would be much easier to appreciate them when they're brought up. This would also make for a great editorial on what makes each Disneyland and Disney World attraction great - past attractions vs current ones, why you like or dislike certain attractions, etc. I ask because if I just aimlessly search for videos, it wouldn't be fun, but most importantly, I wouldn't even know where to begin. So would be great to see them with your commentary. Also, a nice bonus would be if you could share some of your homemade videos, if you have some - and are okay with sharing them. So we can see that "Happiest Brandon" that you mentioned Amanda loves to see when you guys go to Disneyland in a past Cup of Jones episode. Fun note: In Dragon Quest 11, there's a nice couple sitting on a bench in Puerto Valor, who if you speak with the wife, she says: "And I am so glad that we did! My husband is getting excited at even the tiniest things! I have never seen him like this before - it is wonderful!". When I read that, I immediately thought of you and Amanda and how you said that's the Brandon she loves to see when you go to Disney Land. That gave me a really nice and warm feeling. I also captured a screenshot, so you and anyone else can see it, link below: <a href="http://oi68.tinypic.com/mbhe8j.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://oi68.tinypic.com/mbhe8j.jpg</a> PS. Some more Harry Potter talk, but I promise it will be the last about Hufflepuff. When I said that "Overall, Easy Allies is Hufflepuff" in the last episode of Cup of Jones, I meant that because Hufflepuff is the most inclusive among the four houses; valuing hard work, friendship, honesty, dedication, patience, loyalty, and fair play rather than a particular aptitude in its members. Hufflepuffs are not as competitive as the other houses, and are more modest about their accomplishments. Hufflepuffs are known to have a strong moral code, and a sense of right and wrong. Hufflepuffs are usually accepting of everyone. Students in Hufflepuff are known to value everyone and treat them as equal. Hufflepuff is the only house that hasn't produced any dark wizards through out its history. Their cheerful and friendly demeanour can probably account for this property of the House. Hufflepuff firmly demonstrated its loyalty during the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998, when they were second only to Harry Potter's own house of Gryffindor in the number of students willing to stay and fight against Voldemort and his forces in the defence of their school. These are the same traits of the Allies and the EZA community. Think of the livestream drive to buy better equipment for E3 2018, the amount of free subscriptions generously given during Easy Livin', the support of the community not only to the Allies, but to other members of the community as well. When I think of the Easy Allies motto: "Love &amp; Respect", I think of all that it represents: friendship, cheerfulness, honesty, dedication, patience, loyalty, fair play, a sense of right and wrong, and most important of all, to value everyone and treat them as equal. I can't think of a better house to represent the Easy Allies and its community. L &amp; R

Daniel Ribeiro

Howdy Jones! There’s a new feature on YouTube that a lot of the YouTube-savvy channels I follow are starting to experiment with, and that’s premiering videos. I get the impression that people feel this might be the next important aspect of getting your videos out there, so I figured I’d bring it to your attention if it isn’t something the other Allies have mentioned before. Premiering videos seems to be a way to make each video an event, much like a Nintendo direct would, for a large influx of early viewers (good for the algorithm), and twitch chat-like engagement (lots of early comments and engagement). Obviously it would need to be used sparingly to keep that “event” mystique (maybe for videos like Game Sleuth), but maybe it could also be used to somewhat bridge the gap between having a pre-recorded EZA podcast, but still having that live-chat interaction when it premieres? The other reason why I’m bringing it up is because Kyle was rolling around ideas of how to premiere each episode of Box Peek. I think his current plan to show it on Twitch first is totally fine (especially to have a Q&amp;A afterwords), but I’m not sure if that would lead to all of those people re-watching it on YouTube later. I know viewer numbers aren’t the most important thing in the world, but maybe YouTube Premieres would be a good way to launch each episode from 2 onward? Both for the sake of YouTube views and live-chat reactions? Anyways, I hope I worded all of that in a non-confusing way, and I hope this helped spark a discussion! I have no idea if this feature will stick, but I get the feeling it’s something channels will really be focusing on in the near future. L&amp;R TAHK0

TAHK0

I know you aren't asking my opinion on this one at all, but I just wanted to throw my two cents in. "A Whole New World" is DEFINITELY the first theme that comes to my mind. I don't actually know how "Circle of Life" goes (though I assume it starts with that Zulu lyrical wail that is associated so strongly with The Lion King). My favorite is "Bear Necessities", but I feel like that isn't nearly as popular these days. "Let It Go" is also probably a strong competitor given how much radio play it received... I am really looking forward to hearing what Mr. Disney has to say on this one.

James Kennedy

Hi Jones - just a fun one this week. My wife and I got into a friendly argument as to which is the most instantly recognizable Disney song. The criteria for the argument was that if played for someone they would immediately identify it as a Disney song and they would know exactly which movie it came from. She campaigned for "Circle of Life" and I campaigned for "A Whole New World", with some darkhorse contenders being "Let It Go" and even something as classic as "Under the Sea." Then it hit me - I had to run it by Mr. Disney himself! So what would you place in your top three most recognizable Disney songs? Have a good one! -- Jon

Jon White

Just adding to the FFXI love train. I was RDM main and despite feeling lonely and having no one to talk to in a Japanese only party, I had the same experience you did about receiving a compliment on how well I played. Those Japanese sure are classy. I also have a deep love for the auto translator in FFXI and FFXIV (although it's less useful in XIV for separate regioned data centres). My creativity for innuendo using only the auto translator knows no bounds either :P FFXI had me saying [Galka][Release][Wind][inside][restaurant][Hume][Staff][Run away!] on the tame side and [hand][down][front][I'm playing solo right now!] and my Stoneskin macro "I think I'm getting hard... [Stoneskin]!" on the less tame side. FFXIV has some different terms, but I can still talk about [Disciples of the Hand][job] and [Chum][Swap][Party][Can you do it for me?][Let's have some fun][outside][Comfort Zone][Safeguard System][Say][Cereleum] :P Aaaaaaanyway :P The real question I've been meaning to ask: Where do you rank the Adam West Batman? Personally, that's all I'd want out of a batman - no need for dark gritty blah blah blah. Reminds me about the Spiderman reboot and being upset that they have to kill Uncle Ben again and every new Batman has to kill his parents again too so it's hard for me to be interested in a new Batman interpretation.

PKFC

With people sometimes asking you for signing external reviewers to create even more reviews for EasyAllies I always wanted to know how much a professional external reviewer is paid by a big gaming publication like Gametrailers was…and how much youtube-views a review must have to prevent a loss on your side :) #business

Stefan Bien

Mr. Jones Since it is that spooky time of year.....What Scares you the most? Please take a moment to answer this in a few different ways. What scares you as a phobia, like spiders for Ben? What is a fear that you hope is never realized, but you worry that you may have to face some day? (professional shortcomings, loss of a pet or loved one, dreams deferred, civil unrest?) I always offer when I skirt the line of too personal, but please don't answer if you don't feel comfortable. Respectfully, Morgan Mohalla

Morgan Mohalla

Business Q: Currently watching you guys during group stream (Oct 9th), &amp; during Mail/Gifts it's always hard to see the items when they are held up to the camera. I know focusing on close objects is a fickle thing to master with the main cam, but would it help to setup one of the secondary cameras to swap to? Say, when Kyle is showing off the Pokemon Cards he's going to throw away? J/K, but would be nice to see some of the items in detail during the hyped gift openings. Keep up the great streams/work, L&amp;R

Hello, Mr. Jones! Generally speaking, people hate to feel like they are on the outside. I think that is why when your own personal experience with a game is at odds with the general consensus it can be so maddening. If the humor doesn't sync with you, or you are done with the 16-bit throwback aesthetic, Undertale is probably that game for you. Or if you aren't a fan of a ambiguity in your storytelling, and you don't want your games to push back too forcefully, the Souls series is going to give you that effect. Or maybe you are one of the poor souls that didn't find the majority of the shrines in BotW particularly engaging and felt like that version of Hyrule was empty and barren. Either way, these are a few examples of games that got so much praise during their moment in the spotlight that it was hard to escape the zeitgeist. I was wondering if you could give us some examples of crazy pill games that you have encountered. Is there anything that sticks out as being particularly egregious in your mind? Or are you able to separate yourself from these base emotions? Cheers!

James Kennedy

[Personal] Hey Brandon, Been dying to know your thoughts on Solo: A Star Wars Story! What did you think of the movie? Did you like it more or less than The Last Jedi? Are you happy with the direction Disney is going now? Some things specifically to touch on: Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo Donald Glover as Lando Qi'ra and the surprise cameo (should we not spoil for everyone?) Origin of the Solo name World Building Does Han get the Falcon too quickly? Should we have stretched it out for another movie? How would you feel about a trilogy of this kind connecting the criminal underworld (Han Movie, Lando Movie, *Cameo* Movie)? Personally this is probably my favorite of the new movies now, but if TLJ didn't exist it would probably still be Force Awakens. Keep up the great work! #soloeditorialplease

Matt Kuryloski

[Buisness] This week the trailer for noclip's 2.0 initiative led me to finally jump onto their patreon, so we all can get more video game documentaries. Anyway, noclip does something with their video posts on patreon that I would really appreciate if Easy Allies would adopt. I promise this will be easier than audio versions of video podcasts. Whenever they post a video, they put a direct link to youtube first thing in the post description, like so: YOUTUBE LINK: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpKbMiY4Upw&amp;t=0s" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpKbMiY4Upw&amp;t=0s</a> Even though you embed all videos in every patreon post, they are kind of a pain to deal with due to the small frame that patreon uses to diplay youtube in. Small nitpick I know, but I would appreciate seeing direct links to youtube. It'd be a small quality of life improvement. Also, I think that I've finally figured out one of the causes behind patreons automatic deleting of user posts. It was my VPN. Patreon seems to automatically remove comments submitted through a VPN. If anyone else has issues posting, please try turning off your VPN temporarily, as that might fix the issue, and subsequently, cause Cup of Jones to get even longer.

discardedDigit

Edit: It would not have to be one their favourite horror/spooky games, just a horror/spooky game. I'm half afraid to edit my OG comment in case it disappears. :D

BeatenDownBrian

Hey Jones, Since all of the Allies enjoy Halloween, have you ever considered having a running spooky theme across all of your streams for the last days of the month? You could have it all building up to your Halloween group stream on the 30th. I say spooky because I know not all of the Allies love horror, so it could just be a Halloween themed game either. No real benefit to this, I just thought it might be fun. If you wanted to go a step further, I have a second idea, but it would most likely be at least some added work so I’m not sure if you could make it happen. The idea is to have Nine Nights of Horror, where each Ally streams one of their favourite horror/ spooky games during one the nine nights in the run up to the group stream. Obviously Don doesn’t stream, but his pick could be played on the group stream either the week prior, or on the Halloween stream itself. This would most likely still lead to some extra streaming for some of you, so maybe this one is not feasible with the onslaught of games releasing in or around that time.

BeatenDownBrian

Good morning Mr. Jones, last week you talked about how important it is to increase your YouTube subscriber count as it can allow you to have better sponsorship deals and other opportunities. Have you ever discussed about doing giveaways for your YouTube channel? Your biggest reach seems to be in the YouTube community and best way to capture subscribers may be to incentivize them to subscribe there. I have seen other channels grow this way in my experience. For example, your channel is currently at 186k, so your next big milestone would be 200k. You can set up a quick 15 second cut, either at the end or at beginning of your most popular videos (it doesn’t necessarily have to be all videos you post), advertising a 200k giveaway. Perhaps something substantial like a console giveaway may be worth it to bring in new subscribers. I know it will incur costs to obtain the giveaway item/shipping costs, but I think it is worth discussing as the tradeoff may be worth the time and money spent. L&amp;R - Christian

Rammer

Hey Jones - Since you mentioned going through all of the star wars animated content recently I wanted to make you aware that you can buy season 1 of Star Wars Resistance on Amazon video for 2.99 as of the time of this comment.

Owen

Just want to say that no matter how caught up you are, the new Doctor Who is really good.

DaleBastion

Hello! Just listened to the Q&amp;A and learned that people were against your Spider-man 2 pick for next best spider-man movie opposed to Amazing Spider-man. For some validation, I am definitely in your corner on that one. As for a question, what villain do you think a cinematic Spider-man has to fight? Someone who doesn't just allow the effects team to create an eye-pleasing battle, but moves Peter Parker forward as a hero and a person. (Such as Harvey Dent for Batman.)

Tyson Nguyen

Personal question: if you could choose, would you be a firebender, waterbender, earthbender, or airbender?

Simple! Kyle gets punished once, but Jones gets punished 3 times. Kyle has to write a review, whereas Jones has to forfeit the review, read Kyle's objectively awful opinions (jk), and to rub salt on the wound, has to do VO for said opinions.

Do you think single player games are starting to become too much of a grind? The most recent AC games are filled with microtransactions that make the game less of a grind. Shadow of War also did this last year and I have a feeling that Red Dead 2 will have some sort of Microtransactions to make the grind less painful. In comparison, Witcher 3 was a long game, but it never felt like a grind. You could complete story missions without doing any of the side quest. AC: O feels like you have to grind side quest in order to advance in the story which is a problem that I feel the industry should be more focused on. Loot boxes are on their way out, so the next best way to make money is from the single player grind.

NotYourMom

I have not watched the show but I felt frustrated as well. It felt disrespectful in I way I wasn't used to seeing from easy allies. Maybe the stream just wasn't from me.

Funny that you and Blood very quickly brought up FF9 because that one was rather coincidentally high up on my list as well due to the passions of another YouTube personality I follow. It's funny how the world works sometimes. I appreciate the feedback, and look forward to diving into both titles! -L&amp;R

CosmicCrown

I didn't feel offended about it or anything, but the Fist of the North Star half of that group stream definitely got more than a little awkward. I feel it should have been held off on until someone with a better grasp of it, such as Ben or Huber could be present. Maybe a better word for it is frustrating, coming from someone who has watched the show.

Minamik

Please don't delete Patreon

Parasitepaladin

Howdy Jones! Using your own EZA sponsor outlines, what would a message trying to sell EasyAllies sound like? And on a related note, obviously supporting you guys is the best, but how do you feel about people supporting elsewhere in the name of EZA?

Parasitepaladin

Do you consider ultima brad a prankster

Daniel Mogo Sanchez

Personal question. What main feature do you want to see most in pokemon switch? (Veteran mode with harder difficulty and less hand holding is my #1) Section below is optional for a live read. L&amp;r I just wanted to pop in and say I'm very happy about how eza has been running lately. I know some people have very specific and odd complaints requests demands or offers that they bring to cup of Jones and I worry about the squeaky wheel leaving a bad impression at the end of the day. I am always surprised at how open you are to take in every question out there and I hope patrons take a moment to think about how taxing it can be to have to answer for anything and everything when they have a thought that they dont have to bring to a group of 9 people first. I know most people just want to help which I find admirable and I'm not saying I personally know how to run eza but some feedback I've heard on cup of Jones makes my head spin. I wish there were ways to just click like all when things are running smooth with any creators to combat those who have grievances. The eza community as a whole is wonderful though this is just something I've had in my mind. Keep up the great work and give sophie a pet for me. She is one of the greats.

Daniel Mogo Sanchez

If a bet was lost and Kyle was forced to review Red Dead Redemption II, who would be more punished: you or Kyle?

Alexander Zyryanov

Jones! I am unsure if you’re familiar with Microsoft’s Steve Balmer. I recently came across and interview with him on Bill Maher and was struck by his jolly enthusiasm and insight. Holy Potatoes! I said to myself, this guy is so obviously a “Huber”! For evidence, feel free to seek out any number of videos of Balmer bouncing around on stage like a madman, (Huber) hyped at all things Microsoft. The Easy Allies, nay, the world must be told. This got me thinking: do any of the allies remind you of other celebrities or notable famous people? Are there fictional characters or people of note you see yourself in?

Paul Meekin

Morning Jones! Appears my comment I posted on last week's video disappeared so I will try my best to word it again the way I did last week. Business question: Currently how Easy Allies is set up/run is that different tier goals are set and you ask people to become Patrons to fund you guys to create content. Depending on how much funding is received is what determines the value of and what content that gets created. Also the higher the pledge, the more benefits that person receives. It's been great to see all the support you have received and where you guys have come since the beginning. I know you guys always say how thankful you are for all the support you get but my question is have you ever considered giving back in some way to your Patrons besides just thanks and through the content we help fund/ what we get at each tier? To be be upfront, I love Easy Allies and think you guys are great and I enjoy a ton of content you produce so I don't want to sound ungrateful for all your efforts into running Easy Allies. But, I have been thinking about ways you guys can give back to your community, and especially your patrons who help Easy Allies exist. Lately an idea I have had is holding an event that is exclusive for your Patrons. One such event I thought of is to have EZA host a dinner party for their Patrons either annually or semi annually. The dinner party could be similar in format to past Easy Allies meet ups where a large room would be used for everyone to gather in. But instead of just having anyone and everyone show up you create a sign up list for your Patrons to reserve their spot and they sign in once they arrive. To be a bit easier to manage (and more than likely more budget friendly) perhaps make this a pizza party (we all know how much the Allies love pizza) where everyone can self serve themselves. During this exclusive meet up perhaps some fun games or interactions could happen like at previous meet ups but some business elements could be incorporated as well. Such as giving updates on future and current productions, getting feedback from the Patrons about where they would like to see some things go in the future for EZA, open mic Q&amp;A, etc. I know that there would need to be a limit to how many Patrons could come ( not all of your Patrons are local so travelling to the event may not be feasible for them, let alone trying to budget for over 8000 people) so I am unsure how you would feel about something like that. Not sure if this is something you have thought about doing before in the past but personally speaking I think that this is a way that Easy Allies can not only give back more to it's Patron community, but to also engage more with their Patrons in a more personal manner that wouldn't necessarily break the bank (granted I don't have your financials in front of me, but based on my knowledge off the top of my head the idea wouldn't be a huge financial cost) and show greater appreciation and thanks for all the Patrons financial support. Would love to hear your thoughts on the matter. Chris Eyerly

Chris Eyerly

Safety Reply.

Harrison Holt-McHale

Jones! The new series of Doctor Who started on Sunday! Woohoo! You might well have already seen it when you read this as I'm writing this from the past! Possible Spoiler Mode when the series wraps up after the Christmas Special?

Harrison Holt-McHale

Jones! I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions about FFXI! I enjoyed hearing all your stories about it too. Makes me wish I could go back to the heyday of FFXI! Provoke always struck me as a weird magic-y ability with Warrior too. Dark Knight had an odd one called Tractor that was literally just for pulling your dead party members closer to you. PS: I feel bad for not including a phonetic spelling for my mess of vowels I call a last name. I commend you on your French pronunciation of it though! In case I ever have another thought you deem worthy to read, it’s pronounced like Baloo the bear from Jungle Book. :] L&amp;R, Sean

It's cute that Blood thinks Forza is up there with God of War and Spiderman for GotY

Hear hear. My God, every second got me angrier. How can you possibly take offence to something like this, honestly.

Rob de Bruin

Dear Jones Are any of the allies pranksters?

Kola Aina

I don't think it's humanly possible to disagree with the editoral question any more than I do right now. I'd even say it made me angry. Going into specifics wouldn't do anyone any good &amp; would just come off as mean &amp; hurtful so I'll leave it there with a hope that next weeks editorial question is better.

NowHoldOnaMinute

Hi Jones, with all the things Ian is doing lately for EZA, being on the podcast every week, the searching for the studio, all the shooting, can we say that he's officialy a full time Ally? last time i check, the full time allies were Blood, Damiani, Ben, yourself and maybe Kyle. PS. Ian is the Best

Daniel Garza Andrade

Twitch has a built in Rerun feature, so we could just add past broadcasts and highlights to the queue and hit start. That way no one has to set up an actual stream for it which would need to be monitored if it's playing off youtube videos.

Kristen Rogers

I've wanted this for a long time &lt;3

Mac

Hey Jones hope you are having a good day so far! I was looking through all the reviews you guys did on your website and noticed that when you look at the score some of them have a number and some have stars. Obviously early on you guys did stars instead of a number but it really bugs the ocd in me. Has there be any thought or interest and changing the star reviews to their equivalent number on the reviews website page?

strawhatninja

Hey Jones Last week's question about rebroadcasts got me thinking about doing reruns on Twitch during off hours. Why not just have the EasyAlliesPlays playlist autorun sometimes? Would be fun for people who hang out in chat to watch EZA content they may have missed. In my opinion it's more fun than the Pokemon marathon at least ;)

Olf Himself

Hello, so I watched the latest episode of trailer Jones and because it was recorded before the new Death Stranding trailer was released I didn’t get to hear what you thought about it. It’s not much to go on but I’d love to hear your thoughts all the same.

Megan Linart

Hey Mr. Jones! As you know, EZA surpassed 150 reviews so I was curious: Of those, were there any that were memorable outside of the ones you've played and cut yourself? Were any reviews challenging for one reason or another? Thanks as always for taking my question and have a great day! Cheers!

Brandon K Gann

Watching the pledge level go back and forth between &lt;50 and &gt;50 got me stressed.

Stuart F.

Star Wars VR game! Vader Immortal! Hype?

Erunion

Hey Jones, one thing I've been wondering about as I do my games studies masters degree is access to gaming. Perhaps this is the case with all art, but the fact that games are always tied to expensive devices, platforms, and require things like monitors or computers to operate successfully often times, I wonder how unfortunate it is to be poor and limited to gaming. Like any art, I don't believe it should be restricted by pay walls, but the nature of software development requires labour costs and often times expensive technologies... How do you feel about this, if at all? Any thoughts on this? P.S. I'm so excited for Red Dead 2 that I get goosebumps when I watch the trailers or see advertising; Rockstar really got me good.