Cup of Jones - 11/14/17

Hi Jones. Not sure if you are the right person to ask but is there going to be a amateur gundam building stream in this month? L&R Alex_AI

Alex_AI

It's that time again: Can you make a shout-out here or on the Tuesday group stream to alert people about net neutrality in the US? People can donate to an organisation (shout-out to the non-profit Electronic Frontier Foundation), write a letter to their representative, make calls - but they can only do that if they're aware that net neutrality is on the line again. EZA has a great reach, and this is a cause worth fighting for. <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/fcc-to-outline-plan-to-roll-back-net-neutrality-rules-1511136800" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.wsj.com/articles/fcc-to-outline-plan-to-roll-back-net-neutrality-rules-1511136800</a> It's an important issue for anyone that uses the internet, but particularly for gamers and streamers.

Louis Sandiford

Coming in very late but i thought i would expand on a tweet i sent you. In 'INDIE AND THE JONES' or 'INDIE AND A JONES' if you like, you could do a 5min or much shorter video in which you play an indie game with the simple goal of collecting a single item/treasure in line with Mr. jones penchant. Love and respect. Steven

Steven Beaumont

Hey Brandon, are you caught up on Doctor Who yet? The next Christmas special is right around the corner!

DaleBastion

Good morning Jones! At some point you mentioned that the allies have been appearing more on other people's podcasts and said that we could check the schedule on the website to find out more info. The problem is that a lot of people don't check the schedule but would like to keep up with what the allies are doing outside of the core stuff. I have a couple ideas: maybe open cup of Jones with this info since part of cup of Jones is about keeping up with the allies. another option would be to plug them at the start of the group stream but I think the best option would be to give them a plug at the end of the podcast, or the beginning (why not both?) Lastly I just wanted to say thanks for finding a way to make cup of Jones more consistent. It really is one of my favorite parts of easy allies and I'm glad that doing it live is working out so well. L&amp;R

klastical

Mr. Jones, I noticed some of the Allies mention the lack of diversity this week within the Allies. While I do think that besides race and gender, there is actually quite a bit of diversity in your backgrounds, and life perspectives in general, what kind of diversity are the Allies interested in incorporating? What kind of diversity do you have now with the Allies that you appreciate? Respectfully, Morgan Mohalla

Morgan Mohalla

Are you guys planning to attend PAX east this year ?

Whiskeyjack

I was really excited to hear you mention Phish a few COJ's ago. I'm a massive fan since the late 90's. Sadly as I'm from the UK I have to conduct my fandom via the live recordings and webcasts. I'm wondering how long you've been a fan and which recordings are your favourites? It is also nice to know I'm not the only person who loves both Phish &amp; Stephen Sondheim in equal measure. BTW how many other phans do I have to find to join EA to get a Phish related editorial? Andrew p.s. I'm working my way through missed episodes so if you have addressed this stuff between 10/31 and now then apologies.

Andrew Mac

Hey Jones, I was wondering, now when you have done so many epic songs on fiasconauts and not to mention the raps from the bets. Would you consider putting them on a CD for sale? I know I would buy a EZA song collection

Sebastian Hall

Hey! Why did you turn of the light with the pink hue? It made your group streams and podcasts look a lot less "garagie" (since that's a word that we use now)

Mikkel Bak Sørensen

Patreon unfortunately has a bad habit of deleting comments, it can be very unreliable sometimes. I find both spending a long time writing a comment, as well as over editing of a comment can be the two main causes. Usually if I'm writing any sort of long comment, I will type it out somewhere else first, then copy and paste, and then refresh the page to make sure it went up.

BeatenDownBrian

I made a comment about the garaginess of EZA with video examples and everything, but it got deleted :( I boils down to a lot of annoying noises in the backrow mic on groupstream nights and a ton of tech issues that happen really frequently. Why did the comment got deleted?

FreeDoM

Hi Jones, Ideas to make more money: - sell the tshirt people ask in most comments. Its 'easy allies' with an italic young cool font. Some of the allies wear it sometimes.. - more merch in general. not just logo stuff. Make a contest for ex: coolest drawing of EZA team drawn by fans becomes a tshirt..., 3d printed figurines of you guys..., coasters, a Playstation 4 sticker with your logo, etc - After box peek, sell the decor/pieces of the set you wont re-use. - Make Ian's card game but with EZA characters. Sell it for a few bucks more then the original version - 5$ and get the 3 raps in mp3 re-recorded. - Cut specific game discussions/impressions from Frametrap into seperate vids. Just like at E3. This is a no brainer, just do it for SEO purposes please. - new tier: 44000, new series about Gaming Rumors. Where they come from, the probability %. Short vids of about 5 mins each about one rumor. Well cut with voice over. End of episode could be an old rumor debunked/proven to be true for ex. 46000, Playstation/Xbox podcast hosted by Huber or Brad. 1 week Playstation, 1 week XBox. - start on Jan 1st a '50k patreon marathon' till your 2nd year anniversary. Every 2 weeks something like your SNES marathon but more advertised... At 50k, dont just put 'new studio'.. get a new show with it aswell. Some ideas are probably not doable but i hope it helped you get new ideas aswell. Cheers

Sven Van Lathem

Jones have you watched Justice League? I loved it coming from a DC fan despite its flaws. It's a nice fun movie.

Ibrahim Sozer

I'm liking these new port report videos. Do you think you could make more don't skip videos if you made them more similar to the port report videos? Make them just a couple minutes long just get out the most basic details and why you can't skip them, throw some gameplay on top and call it a day. Obviously nothing is that easy. I was also wondering if the lack of don't skips was because of how many big games are coming out that demand full reviews that there isn't time to focus on games outside of the spotlight? Thanks jones!

klastical

Jones, have you guys ever considered a one off BBQ/outdoor Podcast and or Frame Trap? Suns out Guns out!

Jordan Buitendyk

You always answer these questions with the most professionalism and I admire that, however this episode was particularly heavy on consecutive uh's and um's. Maybe its just that watching this month's podcasts has brought this to the forefront of my attention, but it really seems to have gotten away from you on this one.

Mac

Steven: I also deal with depression and anxiety. I have used the meditation app Headspace as it is more instructive than trying to "just do it" on your own. With mindfulness, it gives you that extra moment for you to notice that your brain is going into "protection mode" and to take some moments to figure out if you are having anxiety over a real issue or a perceived issue. It is obviously more complex than that, but I am trying to give you my best interpretation of the theory. The thing that helped me the most, though it was the most difficult to do, was to call a counselor. After talking to the doc, I got a minor dose of some meds that have SIGNIFICANTLY helped with the issues. The dosages are low enough that it doesn't make me a zombie (still feel mad, sad, worried, etc) without these issues taking over my life. I know it is hard to ask for help, but it is a medical condition like any other-- no shame in reaching out.

Patrick Dixon

That is so cool.

FreeDoM

Hey Jones, now I want to preface this that this shouldn't be taken as a jab or as me wanting to create pressure I know you guys are doing your very best and are crazy busy. That said I think the way the souls retrospective release schedule turned out isn't quite as optimal making me wonder if there are any real advantages to writing out the script for the whole franchise in advance instead of focusing on just getting a video out once the research is done for an entry(example Ally plays entry 1 and then does the video before moving to entry 2) and release it when it's ready when you're not sticking to a very consistent focused release schedule in the end(cause I assume the initial plan was having a retro episode out per week?). Is this something you might reconsider for next year(either only releasing the retro when all the editing has been done or being ok just releasing retro episodes every few months)? Asking cause in my viewer ignorance I also don't quite see a connective tissue between episodes that makes it seem like you could only do them by doing the script for the whole franchise first.

‪Mr. Jones‬ ‪I have been suffering from depression and anxiety lately. It is something that I always deal with. Now, it has been occurring more frequently. You mentioned that meditation helps with the anxiety. I was wondering did you ever experience these feelings and/or have any tips to handle this? I apologize if this brings the mood down. ‬ ‪Also, I noticed on group streams that whenever an Ally comes to the camera and shows off a gift. Most of the time it is dark and chat can’t see it. Would it be useful to have light to turn on and off just for that? ‬ ‪Thanks,‬ ‪Steven “MXAGhost” Oz‬

Steven “MXAGhost” Oz

Just in case you missed it, scope out: <a href="https://youtu.be/5AzzAyJwRSQ" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/5AzzAyJwRSQ</a> (Ian edits Destiny 2 review)

For as angry as you were at EA, why not call out the people making the decisions at EA instead of the company itself? I imagine because you've worked for multiple bosses and know firsthand just how differently the vision of two different leaders can make on the final product. Shouldn't someone like Andrew Wilson be called out for many of the greedy decision Electronics Arts is making since he is the one making the calls, and credit be given to someone like Tatsumi Kimishima for really nailing it out of the park with the Switch? Personalities matter. EA doesn't have to remain the way it is but change is unlikely unless the person making the decision is removed.

Pixel Perfect Polygons

JONES. With Brandon Plays Pokemon in the past, what are your retrospective thoughts on Haunter and its too-cool evolution, Gengar? Did you ever feel regret about not having Haunter realize its true potential in your party?

VGJunky

So not to keep pushing the GOTY talks thing, but I have to give it one last try. I do understand where you’re coming from, and why you don’t want to show them. People will latch onto stuff that gets said, that’s definitely true, and I’m sure you guys do get heated during the talks, but yet, I find it hard to imagine that anything said is really going to be that bad that it could not be captured, like I find it hard to picture you guys just hurling insults at each other or anything. I realise that GOTY’s are important to a point, in terms of having an official EZA GOTY, but they're still just GOTY’s, which is really just a bit of fun by their very nature. I’ve spent a while thinking about it, and wanted to propose a compromise. Presuming you’re doing a setup similar to how last years was, you do the debates for the other categories, same as last year, then you show the video for GOTY during the stream, and then spend the last 30-40 minutes of the stream digging a little more into into why it was your choice, and how each of the group feels about the pick. While we would still miss out on the debate itself, it might give those that wanted to see it a little more of the insight they wanted. Thoughts? P.S That debate show idea does sound awesome btw. P.P.S I thought that Pacman Atari port was fine too. :D

BeatenDownBrian

Jumping on this to add that I would prefer to see guests on frame trap as opposed to group streams since the group stream is like "allies" time. The time when we get to see everybody come together and have fun. I also feel like a guest could blend into the background there and not have a good time. At the same time the guy from Vikings always holds his own so maybe I'm worrying about nothing.

klastical

I love TTE, but I sadly agree that it may need to be cut until a studio is achieved. Jones has said previously that some GT era shows are hard to pull off because they aren't all in a studio all day, meaning they can't just easily jump into a chair and start recording whatever. TTE/A strikes me as a show that worked better under those conditions.

TurboChickenMan

(I already asked a question up ^^^, but if you prefer this one I'd be interested in the answer) When Jones talks about maybe tabling shows that aren't getting the views to justify their investment, I can't help but think he's talking about TableTop Escapades. Which sucks, because for so many Patrons it's a centrepiece of their EZA week of content. It's definitely my favourite regular show you make. But at the same time, I know it takes hours to film, and only gets ~3-5k views in the week it's aired (going up to ~10k in the following month). I realise a big part of the problem is that it's serialised and there are so many episodes, so it's challenging for people to catch up with and extremely daunting for new fans. Is there a way for the EZA crew to flex their creative muscles, and go on fantastical weekly adventures, while maintaining a strong audience? Maybe making sure that the seasons are shorter, not stretching for more then 20-30 episodes at a time without at least some kind of substantial break? Shorter seasons that can be enjoyed standalone could give new listeners many more options to jump in. I'd hate to see it go, but I understand change might be necessary. Cheers, James (@blindlyfumblin in chat, etc.)

James McCoy

howdy Jones. might you be aware that this post doesn't load on the patreon app for the iphone? i get a notification, but after tapping it, it leads to a forever loading page, and the post also doesn't show up anywhere in the feed. i think i have a work around for next week when Cup of Jones goes live again, but it's a bit of a hassle. just wanted to point this out in case you weren't aware. thanks.

mar

Hey Jones, I remember you talking about updating the patreon intro video to a new version hence EZA is now over 1 year old. Any ETA on that? I do not think that the video shows off what EZA is today compared to when you started

Christophe Fettouhi

Regarding suggestions there are great tools online where people can easily add suggestions and vote up things they agree with. This gives the community a single voice and gives all allies including "the 9" a single point of adding and refining suggestions which isn't as spread out as coj comments. It sounds great to me for handling things like this and works great for Spotify and Xbox for example. The keyword is idea management and there are free options that wouldn't require management once setup.

Benny Samuelsson

Brute Force for Xbox was easily the most disappointing game of my childhood. It was billed as the next Halo. Um...no.

TravelingSnowman

Hey jones! I'm really curious to know of the representation of each country on patreon and if their is any other patron from morocco L&amp;R

Hey there. Is it al all possible to get one or two allies to go to Gamescom next year?? It would be so amazing to get in touch with you for the European fan base. I do live in Cologne and can help you guys in any way possible. pick you up, provide you with an apartement and stuff like that.

Tim Bechen

Hey Jones! What are the chances of getting Don, Blood, or Kyle to record their raps for us?

Rinney

Now that you are judges on The VGA 2017, does it have an effect on the Betting Special? Or on the stream of VGA or PSX? L&amp;R Aurélien

Aurélien GRANIER

jones, regarding ideas for the community. I, and perhaps many others, would love to see more guest stars! It was really nice to have the Zelda universe guys come over for Zelda talk!! Maybe have a poignant figure in gaming appear on every other frame trap, or perhaps a new interview series with game developers? One ally could have a cozy hour with a guest on a special topic that interests them. Ideas are many. (regarding brand growth, it could help spread the word of mouth, maybe)

irene035

Oh please! "Bosman And Damiani On A Podium Episode 1: Ocarina of Time versus A Link to the Past." 45k goal. YES

irene035

Any updates on getting an intern? I remember it being floated by you a while back (around the time that EZA was starting out).

Louis Sandiford

Some people say Rio Grande like "Grand". I'm assuming you mean grande like the Starbucks cup size. That might be easier for Jones to wrap his head around.

Alex Castellanos

Brandon! You mentioned you love reality tv and I was wondering if this extended to game shows like Survivor? I'm a huge fan of the show and if you are as well would love to hear your opinions about it. Also, you should absolutely check out the korean reality show "The Genius". One of the most interesting shows I've ever seen, just watching a bunch of smart people play a socially and strategically demanding game is such a joy. It could even be adapted to be something the allies do at some point, it's a lot of fun. Regarding the comments on 'garaginess', personally I think it's more the visual sense of professionalism. I appreciate the flavour and style and sentimentality that a lot of the items in the background have but it can make things feel cluttered and more like a storage space. I love the garage-feel for small shows like Cup of Jones and podcasts but for bigger things like group streams and betting specials it definitely looks cramped and busy. Regarding the people who would miss the garage maybe you could continue to do Cup of Jones from here? Always add that touch of home.

Daniel Rona

Hey Brandon! You have a way with words, while I, do not. May I request you explain some video games terms, as if you were talking to a person that knows nothing about video games? If so, the words are: Strategy guide Localization Texture Draw distance And if you don't mind, could I do this again with different terms, if I am unable to think of a decent question that week?

Parasitepaladin

As an aside, everything you brought up regarding EZA's current "garaginess" is exactly the kind of stuff I was thinking of. All the little things, really. The position of mics/cameras/lights/furniture/set decorations, a bit more "pop" to the logo and graphics, maybe a few cuts to video/video overlays on podcasts to break up the monotony, more consistent cross-platform promotion, etc. It seems to me there's so much that could be tweaked without requiring major time or money investment (though given your hectic schedules, some minor, at least temporary programming cutbacks should be on the table). The word you chose "streamlining" was perfect.

TurboChickenMan

What's your favorite song you've heard in a Tony Hawk game?

TurboChickenMan

Shuhei Yoshida gave the Easy Allies and Kyle Bosman in particular a shout out during a Paris Games Week interview - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehsfocv_peg&amp;feature=youtu.be," rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehsfocv_peg&amp;feature=youtu.be,</a> around the 3:36 mark.

Diggles

Personally I think a game needs to be version 1.0 or above to be considered for game of the year. Its clear cut any easy to understand.

klastical

Hey Jones, Have you looked at ways to boost your Twitch reach? I think a great, simple thing to do would be to reach out to a range of Twitchers who have similar levels of views to your own (or even lower), and who have fanbases that you think would gel well with your Patrons and Allies, and building a network where you host each others' streams whenever you're offline. I've watched other Twitchers do this, constantly hosting and sharing each others' streams, and it seems to be a great way to build a surprisingly large community in a grass-roots way. It would be much less time intensive than appearing on other peoples' streams, and would come with the added bonus of allowing you to form partnerships with streamers who normally go live in different time zones. Another (though much more costly thought) would be to invest in ways to make your own streams more entertaining. One idea which comes to mind is: improv classes. Sometimes just watching a game being played isn't enough, but improv can give people flexible tools to be consistently spontaneous and fun live. Lots of love, James (@BlindlyFumblin in chat, etc.)

James McCoy

Hey Brandon, I'm a student film maker, and I'm wondering how you feel about the use of an EZA video in a new short film that I'm going to be filming at the beginning of next year. I'm still in early pre-production, but I would love your permission to use one of your Dark Souls Retrospective videos as a quick feature in my film. I can go more in depth on how it would be used in the future but I just wanted to see if it were possible for me to use it! Thanks for all you do! Love and Respect, Austin Vincent

I hope not.

Hi Brandon, have you seen "Batman in Shanghai" (link: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA6KPuUGQz4)," rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA6KPuUGQz4),</a> and if so, what are your thoughts on it? Personally I would love to see a full-length feature film in this style and setting.

Bouncing off of what you said regarding everyone using the animated intro for streams, I think it might be a good idea to come up with a graphics package with mortises and such for everyone to use as well, if only to have the same style and polish on all streams.

Olf Himself

Hello Brandon, Andrade sounds like you says Rio GRANDE, i hope be more clear this time :P, now my question, Will you ever consider have a plan B in case the studio goal doesn't reach at a certain time? lowering the goal, moving the "HQ" to a different location?

Daniel Garza Andrade

(I wrote this a few hours before last week's CoJ, but I must have missed the cut. 2nd attempt!) Brandon! Colin Moriarty (formerly of Kinda Funny &amp; IGN) has just announced his re-introduction to the games space in the form of his new show Colin's Last Stand: Side Quests. I will post something similar on his Patreon page but I would be SO EXCITED if you could collaborate with him on anything he's working on with games. He's living in Santa Monica now and I can see Ben, Blood, or yourself really having some interesting talks or discussions about the games industry in general or specific games topics. Your thoughts? -Alex C.

Alex Castellanos

Hey Mr. Jones! Today was a great day with the Game Awards announcement! I was wondering once the awards have been handed out, if you are allowed and willing, will the Allies let it be known what the group as a whole voted for, how the voting process works, etc.? If not that's cool, but I ask because it's an awesome honor to be a part of the show and having a little of your perspective on how it works would help me better understand the process about how the awards are won. As always, thank you very much for taking any of my questions! Have a great day.

Brandon K Gann

Suggestion Box: Update the Patreon Video?

Brett C.

Thanks Jones! This helped me get through work...wished this and the gundam stream had audio only.

ComboBreaker

Hey Jones, Thanks as always for reading our questions. As a video editor, I am interested in how the Allies' process goes. It'd be cool to have a series (or Twitch streams) where Ian, Don, and the other editors make their cuts. Not only could this be informative, fun, and transparent, but it could add to the diversity of content you guys already produce. Twitch has a Creative community, and it'd be great to see EZA join that sector on Twitch. L&amp;R, Mark P.S. When are we getting more guests on Cup of Jones?

Marceline Leiman

PuBG shouldn't win best game, but I think it will prove to be the most impactful game of the year (in the sense of it creating a new genre)...

Patrick Dixon

Hi Jones, How do you handle food expenses in EZA? Do you use your business license to buy in bulk from something like a Restaurant Depot that sells food in bulk and would help everyone score major discounts buying wholesale? In general, our small company buys food in bulk which helps everyone involved save 25%-35% in food costs. This only really works for people who cook their own food obviously, but the discounts are significant for chicken, salmon, beef, and pork, among other items.

Pixel Perfect Polygons