Cup of Jones - September 7, 2020

Safety

Faraz Rizvi

Hello jones, Since everyone has been giving feedback I figured I'd chime in. I see a lot of complaints about the allies content but imo the content over the summer has been pretty good. I think initially there was a period where none of the shows were enjoyable but there was also nothing positive going on in the world or gaming and that I think affected the shows and also viewer expectations. Also I think most of us realize how hard you and other allies are working. And the comments that you're coasting are uncalled for. I don't think some patrons realize how many hours you are actually putting into work. It's not like you are working 9-5, but I guess gamers in general are pretty bad at understanding how much work goes into things. The only part of the criticism I really agreed with is that the solo twitch streams aren't really compelling and to me I think some Allies maybe need to learn the skill of streaming. I think watching someone like Maximilians streams and compare it to some of the Allies streams will just show the difference. And I also feel like most allies usually ignore chat, other streamers it usually feels like chat is involved and the stream is the streamer chilling with chat rather than us watching them play a game. And you need to call out every sub/resub and bits all that is what keeps people engaged. I think learning from other streamers would go a long way here. And I want to say I really miss Tabletop, I've been watching since GT days and I feel like that show was kind of the heart of EZA content. Yeah it had low views but I remember the views being almost similar to the number of patrons. Hopefully it can comeback again some day, even if it's short campaigns. Overall though I don't think it's the YouTube content that's the root problem for less patron numbers I think the root cause is lack of bringing in new people and that goes to getting EZA videos do better on YouTube. I think the focus should be on better titles, thumbnails, uploading videos on a specific schedule that does better with the algorithm. No matter what shows you guys do, it won't matter unless there is a constant stream of new viewers because people will always fall off and you can't keep everyone happy. The fact that you guys have 249k subs but regular content gets 20k views means there is something wrong. As Don said on one of the streams, it's time to dabble in click bait titles and thumbnails. Yeah it's lame but that's YouTube and I feel like you have to play the game. linus from Linus tech tips has done videos about this and he shows data on how much these things matter. And he has multiple channels with more than million subs. Simple example is minnmax recently had an interview with a Fall guys dev. And they clipped out a answer and out the title with some thing like "fall guys creator says xyz" which made me watch the whole interview. Yeah it was click bait but the content wasn't so I wasn't angry. TLDR, not everyone is unhappy with the content and we know you all are working hard. Look at other streamers to improve solo streams and improve how you do on YouTube, if you need to get click baity it's ok.

Faraz Rizvi

That RT event sounds boring if they're gonna squash any creativity. Tell them to watch the Polygon Pax Pokemon conference and tell them to grow an imagination. I've never played Pokemon and that was hands down the best 'YouTubers do a conference' I've seen.

Kif

Jones! Business related question, and perhaps a selfish request only I would want. Have the Allies considered podcastifying most of the video content? I rarely have the time to sit down and watch Reviews, Huber Syndrome, Hands on Previews, Don't Skip, etc. Is there a world in which reviews are gathered together on a bi-weekly cadence and released as a Podcast episode? You could even group other shows together and release those on a monthly cadence? For example Ben's Cyberpunk preview has still gone unseen by me due to my lack of screen time! But my ear time would have enjoyed it thoroughly. Heck, you could even do some advertising on them and get more ears to hear about how they need to shave their balls with manscape! Just a thought! I'd even suggest it could be a Patreon tier, but in my heart of hearts it'd be something I'd want to subscribe to on a Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Regardless, The Allies have been a warm cozy blanket of good vibes during these challenging times, and the more content I can get in my ear holes, the better! Also, personal question. What's the best Jellybean flavor, and why is it buttered popcorn?

Paul Meekin

Hey Jones, Get Kyle on the podcast or reactions this week if you can Thanks iboshow P.S. I'm disappointed in the lack of Batman content on this channel.

Ibrahim Sozer

safety

Happy Gaming

Yo Jones, I've really enjoyed the previews Easy Allies has put together for upcoming games. It's really exciting and fascinating to hear the Allies talk about upcoming games. What are the chances that we'd be able to hear different Allies talk to different developers in those previews other than Allies though? I understand that there are probably NDA's at stake, but it would be interesting hearing directly from developers about certain games that you have footage of that they directly have an association with to answer questions about, rather than speculation, Love and Respect, Brian from Happy Gaming

Happy Gaming

Hey Jones I would consider this not really a business question but I've been wanting to get PS VR for a long time now but I've held off to maybe get the new version that has been rumored for the PS5. Do you think there's a possibility of a new VR set up coming with the ps5. I come to you who I consider the resident VR expert among the Allies. L&R

Sage_Mode_Q

Hey Jones, I was wondering how you schedule the videos that you release? For example when there is a Don’t Skip, or a particular video that isn’t part of the usual rotation, how do you decide the release schedule of that video? How much does analytics play into that decision making? The reason that I ask is because I recently saw a video in which a popular content creator said that apparently the best time to release a video is Wednesday, early evening. (Video: https://youtu.be/ppbFm98IB_k?t=62). Might help, might not, just thought it might be an interesting insight. Thanks, Varun Kachhwaha

Varun Kachhwaha

Hey Jones, This comment is way too long. Feel free to summarize or TL;DR it. First, I Frequented Gametrailers.com since the early days and have been a patron or Easy Allies since day one. I think the only time I've ever posted something publicly was on one of the FF7 Remake Spoiler Modes. Now, I just wanted to say that you talk about Goldeneye a lot, which makes sense as it's your favorite game of all time. In the past month or so, it came up on Frame Trap, Cup of Jones, the Q&A and I believe even the podcast. On Frame Trap Ben even made a comment along the line of how much he wished they'd make another FPS like Goldeneye with different objectives based on the difficulty, unlockable cheats and so on. This is frustrating because, well… that thing already exists. Have you ever played the Timesplitters series? Timesplitters 2 was played on stream by Huber, Brad and Damiani last year and I feel like they should have included you. At first glance you'll notice some elements might look like they're ripped right from Goldeneye. This isn't a coincidence, as they're actually made by a lot of the same people. If you're interested in a short retrospective… Back in '97 Rare released Goldeneye to great acclaim and went to work on a sequel, which ended up being Perfect Dark. About halfway through development of Perfect Dark, Rare lost several key members. The teams leader went to peruse other interests, while four key members left Rare to form Free Radical Design. According to Wikipedia this resulted in a loss of half the team. Free Radical Design went on to produce the TimeSplitters series. TimeSplitters 1 was a PS2 launch game that had a bare-bones single player campaign and incredible multiplayer modes. It was also one of the first dual-analog first person shooters, which led to some comments in reviews that have not aged well. GameRevolution knocked points off for poor controls, saying: "The default control uses the two analog sticks. It takes a while to get used to it, and even then, I never enjoyed it as much as other console FPS games like Goldeneye or Medal of Honor. Control just feels loose, and would have been a lot better with a “centering” button." Timesplitters 2 was overall a much better game, and with a bigger focus on it's campaign, fully playable in co-op. It had all the difficulty options, time trials and unlockables you'd find in Goldeneye, along with some levels that have some nice nods to their Bond roots. If you've never checked this game out, I'd highly recommend it. Much like TimeSplitters 1 and Goldeneye, it's multiplayer and all it's options, is a blast. TimeSplitters: Future Perfect came toward the end of the generation. There's not much to say about it other than it holds up to the high standards of TimeSplitters 2. It's more of the same, but in a good way. Unfortunately things didn't end well with Free Radical as their last game was Haze for PS3. Whether it was corporate overlords meddling or other factors, the game was pretty forgettable. Free Radical closed and became a part of Crytek UK, which worked on Crysis 2 & 3. Crytek UK was sold and became Deep Silver Dambuster Studios which is apparently working on Dead Island 2.

Hey Jones I can’t imagine how busy you must be doing a review along with everything else you do, can you just ensure us that you’re taking good care of yourself, I would be okay if you had to take couple of Cup of Jones off. Please take care Love and Respect Robert Lee

robert7lee

Hey Jones! Hope everything is well with you and yours. My question is in regards to the colour scheme of the schedule ya'll put out every week. Maybe it's cause my eyes are wonky due to colour blindness but i have a damn hard time reading it. any chance of swapping one or two of the colours? If not, no worries it's not a big deal.

Gabriel Roy

What's up Jones, does being verified matter? You guys are quite active on Twitter and have a history in the game industry but do you think this would benefit Easy Allies as a business or is it just a waste of time? L&R

Ivan Ndahiro

Morning Jones, just wondering if it would be worth the time for game devs to put out a questionnaire dictacting what typed of announcements people would like to see on a vague litmus scale. For example, mobile games, timed DLC, sequels, New DLC, Keanu Reeves :-) etc. etc. If mobile games all scor an inevitable 1 - 4 maybe it would be worth cutting entirely? Thanks for your thoughts and contragts on moving I really hope you get the house you want :-)

Hello Jones! Popping in to voice my support for patreon exclusive content! Any chance we can get uncut versions of various videos as patreon exclusive content?

Parasitepaladin

And just a ps to send you all virtual hugs. It feels like you've been piled on the last couple of weeks and I want to let you know how proud I am of the hard work you've all been doing and that my support remains unwavered.

Asbo Zappruder

Heya Jones, Yeah, no, I've tried that but it just made things worse. But if Easy Allies were the first lady of a South American country preparing for a tour of Europe, would it want to be Christian Dior'd, Machiavell'd, or Lauren Bacall'd?

Asbo Zappruder

Hi Jones, I have an idea for an exclusive patreon show that would be perfect for all viewers that have not enough time to finish games timely and therefore have to skip sections of frame trap when you talk about these games or the spoiler mode entirely. The idea is to produce a show that revisit games that were released 2 to 3 month ago (I guess this is the time that my bubble of friends need to finish some of the games, e.g. Ghost of Tsushima). I know that one can just go back and watch the old frame trap episode or jump into the spoiler mode after finishing a game, but I miss the take of the allies after they had some time to think about the game and process the adventure. In my case a game usually comes to mind for a month or more after I finished it and often times I have new insights (e.g. how was that feature in comparison to other games, where does it land in the grand scheme of gaming). You all seem to be very busy and I suppose that this also limits the free time for your mind to process your experience with the games you have played. Hence, I think the 2 to 3 month wait before talking again about a game would lead to interesting and sometimes deeper conversations. Cheers Solid_Snaqe

iDens

safety reply

Josh Read

Hey Jones. Do you feel that EZA is stretching itself too thin in the balance between editorial and personality-based content? I've always found it a little surprising that EZA is competing in editorial output to massive outlets like IGN and Gamespot, when there are only eight of you. And all of you are involved in editorial content (I consider Ian and Don part of it in that they are editors of some of that content, and occasionally part of it in other ways). And all eight of you are also part of personality-based content, though I would argue editorial content is a bigger part of your week-to-week output. But here's the thing, Jones. I truly believe that your community, by and large, is made up less of your editorial content fans and more of your personality-based content fans. I think most of us migrated from GT to EZA so quickly not so we could get our fill of those reviews and previews, but because we loved this group of people, and them interacting and talking about games. And this is not to say people don't love your reviews and previews. They are extremely valuable and I believe you all have made yourselves known as a trustworthy and reliable source for reviews. That's fantastic. But I just can't help but wonder if the amount of editorial content done by this small group of eight people has led to an imbalance. The EZA community has never cried, "Please give us more reviews. Please give us more previews," but how often do you hear, "Please give us more produced content" and, "I want to see more of you guys together"? (Quick note about the produced content line; I've asked multiple people who say this to clarify what they mean by that, and they always say they mean group personality-based content like Mysterious Monsters, Don's Design Lab, Huber's Prison of Love, etc.) The best thing about EZA - and I think almost everybody in the community would agree - is not the reviews and previews, which, again, are great and important to the channel; the best thing is you guys as a group.

Josh Read

Keep this Patreon

Hey Jones, I hope you are having a good day This isn't really a question and I was actually going back and forth with myself if I should post this here or just DM you on Twitter, but I decided to do it here in case you wanted to address this in the actual episode. I have a.... complaint (sorta?) about today's Ubi Forward reaction stream and how (for the lack of a better word) looked like you guys were ignoring a glaring misrepresentation (or rather lack of representation) from Ubisoft in regards to Prince of Persia Remake announcement. They announced the remake of Prince of Persia, that has basically nothing to do with Persian culture and there is close to zero representation of Persia and Persian people in it (being in the game or the development talent/VA/etc behind it), yet at no point during the show or after it, it occurred to any of the allies to point that out. Now I know this is on Ubisoft and you guys can't change what they are doing, but it felt weird to not even get an acknowledgment that they are talking about a Prince of **Persia** game without saying a single thing about representing Persian culture or people. In the behind the scenes video that they did, they were so excited about representing India in the game (which is great), but it didn't occur to any of the allies that they haven't talked about the culture that is in the title of it game at all. I know that Middle-East and Iran in particular might not seem that different in culture to people who maybe aren't as closely tied to this region, but even tho we have some surface level similarities in some of our traditions and values, each nation has a vast and rich culture of its own and honestly something like Prince of Persia remake is disrespectful to all of the nations involved (Persians, Arabs, Indians) in the game who are essentially being told that "you are all the same people". It might seem unfair to put this on you (and it is to some extent), but let me ask you this: If Ubisoft was to announce Prince of Japan and then showed a trailer with people wearing Indian clothing and a world/city that looked nothing like Japan, with people who didn't look Japanese and didn't speak Japanese, and then they did a behind the scenes video where they talk about being excited about bringing the world and culture of India (China/Korea/etc) to life in this Prince of Japan game, without talking about Japan at all, would allies still not be able to realize and point out the lack of representation? And I know this is a remake and the original game also heavily misrepresents Persian culture so people might think this is okay, but isn't a remake the kind of opportunity that they should use to fix those misrepresentations? And if they are not doing that, wouldn't it be fair to call them out on it? You don't even have to make huge changes to have representation in the game. As an example, the original PoP Sands of Time had Arabic inscriptions on Prince's sword, in the remake they've realized that Persia's language is not Arabic and it's Farsi/Persian, so they've taken that inscription out, but instead of adding some Farsi phrase there to represent Persia, they've just decided to leave it blank. Prince's cloth is still distinctly Arabic and not Persian at all. None of the characters in the trailer uttered a single Persian/Farsi word. The designs are all Indian or Arabic inspired, etc etc Again, I'm just saying this part for people who might say "well it's a remake they can't change much about it", so it's just some examples to refute that. I'm not asking you or other allies why this hasn't happened cause it's on Ubisoft. I'm just disappointed that despite the issue of not talking about Persia or having any Persian representation, no one cared enough to pick up on that. Also after the show in your post show talks, I brought this up in chat during the PoP discussion a lot and none of the allies picked up on it there either and I was told by other people in the chat that I shouldn't expect Persian representation in a series called Prince of **Persia**. Anyway, I just had to say that I was disappointed that none of the allies during the show or after it in the post reaction discussion even thought about that. Being misrepresented in media for decades, especially from a huge western company like Ubisoft is very frustrating, and none of the allies even realizing that misrepresentation made it even worse. Especially when you are told by chat to keep it to yourself and look elsewhere if you want representation. Sorry for the rambling and my bad English. I probably repeated myself too many times, so I completely understand if you don't include this in the actual episode. I just had to give this off my chest. Cheers

While the majority of the stream was Ben, Huber, and me having a really good time with the game, you're referring to the one match that went really poorly. I know the stream was only showing my perspective, but there was no way to spectate nor change over to another feed with the setup used in the moment, otherwise I would have done that in a heartbeat as I was at least aware it didn't make for good stream content. But something I really wish people would consider is that I *usually* get severe motion sickness, especially from FPS games (even on the Destiny 2 streams I have to call for a research break to recompose myself on this issue). As for the match in question, the rapid camera cutting from being killed so quickly in one spot and then spawning after dying into another was so making me nauseous on top of it not being any fun. I should have just asked the guys if it was okay to just move on from the match "ie back out to the menu again and pick a new mode", so I'll try to be more aware of the options if a similar situation arises again. It was just a high stress + feeling ill moment and it was hard to react well and think clearly. - Damiani

Easy Allies

I'm a GT fan, day one patron, infrequent commenter. I think there are obviously all kinds of reasons numbers can be shifting, as seen in comments here and in last week's post. Here's my personal take: I wish EZA was more acknowledging and proactive in expressing their feelings on the state of the world in general throughout your shows and platform. When watching some of your content in 2020 I feel like Ian in the last three minutes of the Super Mario 3D World stream from Nov. 8, 2016: he sits in frustrated shock at the course of the USA while Jones laughs, grabs him around the shoulders, and says "it's gonna be fine." Bloodworth echoes "everything'll be fine" from the far end of the couch. (In this weird metaphor I am Ian and 2020 EZA content is Jones & Blood.)  What I'm trying to say is I feel that things are different now, and things are not fine, and I feel most, if not all, the Allies would agree with this, and I find it hard to recommend EZA to my peers when the majority of the programming feels trapped in a pre-2020 bubble of a bunch of white buds hanging out playing games, ignoring the state of America. (When I say "state of America" here I'm primarily referring to racial inequality, though clearly the total issues are many.)  Ian and Damiani deserve kudos, as they have repeatedly received, for making a dedicated effort to bring in a diverse slate of guests and topics. It is not lost on me that they're also the primary duo who will sometimes go out of their way to note that Black Lives Matter at the close of the EZA podcast when given the opportunity, something most other Allies seem to visually appreciate but not say themselves. Your comment from this episode about not censoring the other Allies when they speak their minds noting Black Lives Matter while also saying you're losing patrons as a result is actually what inspired me to write here. There's a weird implication here - that you know stating Black Lives Matter may hurt the EZA bottom line, and although you do not censor others, you are very conscious about how or when you personally choose to express this shared belief (I think it'd honestly sound pretty nice before or after a "Cheers" at the end of these episodes). I look at many of the disheartening YouTube comments below the archive streams of the incredible George Floyd Memorial Fundraiser, and feel so conflicted: there's an amazing, supportive community that came together to donate thousands of dollars to a great cause, but, uh, also racists. And people spouting conspiracies. And it's all pretty gross. Your community is political, whether or not you want it to be.  You all have a platform, an opportunity to spread ideas and messages and elevate voices that could and should be heard these days, and I just kind of wish the Allies were more allies, you know? I'm not suggesting EZA produce a political show, as has been suggested before, or divert from the main goal of entertainment and escapism that is one of the standard responses to comments like this (others that feel like cop-outs include "everyone can speak their minds," and "we have to keep our international audience in mind"). But maybe a more conscious effort could be made as a collective, instead of the regular gesturing to Ian and Damiani while noting they have the easiest opportunities to bring this diversity, putting in the effort to make similar things happen in less expected places. This is all to say that personally I feel like I'm watching EZA stay mostly the same in a world that is rapidly changing. I don't think it's expected of you all as a media journalism and entertainment company to completely change yourselves in response to the state of the world, but as a supporter who sees you have influence over a complicated fan base, I do wish there was more of an conscious effort made from more of the Allies in these regards. QUESTION: Has EZA ever brought in (or considered bringing in) a qualified party to a team meeting to have a discussion about diversity and inclusion in future EZA programming? In case the answer is something along the lines of "we'd love to, but time and money," maybe you could rope in a close couple of members of Ripley Improv, who seem to taking fantastic steps in these regards in their new Twitch shows and public statements of normalization efforts battling racial inequalities. Love & Respect.

Stackhouse

Hello Jones. File this under personal (it's been a while since you have to write a response). I just became aware of this Documentary film "Robin's Wish" (https://youtu.be/V59s_asIf2g) and I was wondering if you have heard of it or watched it. I remember from a first fifteen back in the GT days, that you grabbed a Night at the Museum game and expressed your sorrow after the loss of Robin Williams, so I thought this may interest you. Estamos en Contact, César.

César Villa

I think it's important to make a concerted effort to get back to the studio and find a way to make it work, it would do a lot for the morale of the fanbase and quality of your content (my opinion of course). especially considering most other people in america have resumed their lives, kids going back to school, working every day without issues, etc.

A Joker Fan

Safety safety safety post.

TurboChickenMan

Response to the theme of this episode (as others are also doing): Before the pandemic, and before Kyle left, my enthusiasm for Easy Allies was already dropping. Here are the three primary reasons. 1. It felt like it was becoming less fun. The garage had some wild and crazy vibes that were lost in the move to the studio, but that's a small part of it. Some shows that were inherently fun (as opposed to the more "serious" previews/reviews/podcasts) were being left by the wayside (Tabletop Escapades, Top 10s) or had already been left behind at GT (The First Fifteen, Mandatory Update Nights). Tournaments also became infrequent. New fun shows have continued to be produced, but they tend to be limited run/infrequent (Achieve It Yourself, Don's shows, Hunting Huber). 2. The studio felt neglected. Noticeable improvements to the space have been very slow, one example being that it took a while for the stage to get background monitors, and since installation have only been used for show logos. The streaming room feels sparsely decorated. Compared to GT, as well as current popular gaming outlets of all sizes, the image and sound quality of podcasts and streams has always felt iffy. And except for Mysterious Monsters, it hasn't been taken advantage of for content the garage couldn't do. I stopped watching the Easy Allies Podcast regularly a few months before Kyle left because the flat, uninspired look was wearing on me (audio podcasts aren't my thing). I miss GT Time's slick setup, but the funky look of the garage podcasts was also less taxing. 3. Not enough bite-sized content. EZA feels podcast, stream, and preview heavy. It's possible that, in a pure bean-counting sense, the things I've described aren't accurate. Still, feeling these kinds of vibes can't be a sign of health.

TurboChickenMan

Someone should have a chat with Damiani. The Mean Greens stream was a headscratcher.

Platinum Adventures

Hi Jones, You said a while back in a Cup of Jones that you didn't think you were particularly funny, and that you believed that the EZA Podcast would be less comedy. But from the last few months, I've found myself laughing at your jokes so many times. They're understated, sometimes even to the point that the other Allies won't even notice, but I wanted to make sure you knew they were appreciated. In regards to a question, I was wondering if this is something you've noticed yourself. Have you noticed yourself settling into this particular style of humour for the podcast? Thanks and L&R, Callum

The Canipa Effect

The review referenced is the Fast and Furious Crossroads review

Spinexel

Just wanted to also chime in and say I did the same thing. I have yet to play the Ori sequel, so I will watch the interview whenever I get to it!

Alec Church

Mr Jones, With regards to your response of EZA stagnation from last weeks COJ: could you elaborate on the direction EZA is planning to take? A few times in the past this question has come up and is often met with "we can't promise anything" or "we don't want to spoil some upcoming surprises" which are both completely acceptable responses, however the idea that the audience thinks that the company has begun to stagnate seems to signal that there is some confusion. We don't need firm dates or even specific details but some clarification and consistency with what to expect could go a long way. I am very happy with the content even though the pandemic has slowed show production for numerous reasons. I don't think there are doubts about your efforts with the company as you frequently mention your lack of time and sleep. This community does care about your, and the allies wellbeing so please be honest and realistic with what we can expect from you, including the need to take a week or more off and step away from projects. L&R Morgan Mohalla PS: Is there any way we can gift, pledge or drive, to provide EZA members with a respite from their obligations with the company?

Morgan Mohalla

Hey Jones, I wanted to ask about the viability of using a service like Parsec for EZA to help with the current difficulties the team has to address with the work-from-home life we all have to adapt to. Maximillian has been probably the one of the most outspoken voices promoting this service, which uses a modified virtual desktop setup with rollback netcode to play couch-co-op titles with his fellow streamers on titles that either lack proper online play, or games that have exceptionally bad online modes that makes playing the game in its current state unfeasible under the current circumstances. Max recently played Streets of Rage 4 with 3 of his fellow streamers and still was able to broadcast the Zoom cameras of each player with virtually no noticeable issues or delays. The fact that all members were in the LA area also helped reduced any lag, which I know the EZA members all reside in as well. Now, this setup also comes with a HUGE caveat of a good internet connection of the host, which I know has been a problem for many of the Allies and their home setups. Max also just installed a direct fiber line to his home to be the host location, so his case is not exactly the norm. My core question revolves around the status of the studio. I would totally understand if the team has had to minimize the cost of the studio by pausing utilities like internet service and electricity, but I would like to propose that this could be a good location to set up a EZA Host AWS server for the use of Parsec. This could serve as a central location that the Allies could use to host Stream Team games without dragging down their home connections. So, how likely or viable do you think this method would help the team? I myself have had horrible experiences with Virtual Desktop in work environments, but from all accounts I'm hearing, Parsec seems to be a far departure from that experience for remote gaming. PS: I am providing links to videos explaining the setup and some of Max’s plays with it in Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 and Streets of Rage 4. Kevin Ha: How to Setup Parsec: https://youtu.be/Zb2SHIxBlSg Max UMvC3 on Parsec: https://youtu.be/g3-QNCDOXCE YoVideoGames (virtually)play Streets of Rage 4 with Parsec: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/732782321 Parsec: https://parsecgaming.com/ L&R Justin

Justin Greene

Hey Brandon. I just wanna expand on my post that you read aloud, which in itself is why i love Easy Allies. I love that i can get my comment read by a person that I absolutely adore and respect the most in all of gaming. What i wrote wasn't about how much you work. I know you work your collective asses of. And I know Easy Allies is a different place than it was 4 years ago. The comment was more based on, that Frame Trap kinda has the same format, and Easy Allies Podcast is kinda still Bosmanish (A word i just made up), and keeps the same structure, Huber Syndrome is kinda the same mostly. And I love it all, I really do, but it could be cool with some devil-may-care attitudes and some change ups to those formulas . Ian does this very regularly, and the betting special has this craziness and silliness, that you guys do so well. I just want more of it. Of course, you can't do that very much, when you react, but it's really cool, and i sometimes miss it in the podcast and in Frame Trap. I seem to remember Ian doing something similar in a review recently, and it was so cool. I think he looped something, but I can't remember the exact review. So it can also work there. Gimme more of that in general, because you guys all have an amazing sense of humor. That might also differentiate you guys and get in new Patrons. And what i meant by making new tiers, is that you could take the Patrons wishes, that you so often read on Cup of Jones, and make them tiers. E.g. at 42.000 we'll employ a new ally, or something in that vein. Or at 45.000 we'll discuss daily news, in small non-scripted videos. I would up my pledge to see 2-3 allies discuss the daily happenings in the gaming industry, in small 10-12 minute videoe. (Whatculture gaming does that very effectively.) No scrips just raw reaction to a subject, chosen by you guys. It would also be possible with Covid going on. Anyway, I really didn't wanna seem ungrateful or provocative, because you guys are part of my life, and have been for 4 years now. I have seen every Cup of Jones, every Podcast and every Frame Trap. I am just afraid that it will be gone someday, especially after a certain KB left. I have opinions about that, but they aren't constructive, so I will keep them to myself. I just wanna say thank you to all eight Allies. I love you all, you are friends I will never meet, and my previous comment comes from the most loving place in my heart. Claus

Claus Larsen

Patreon better not eat this

Spinexel

Fundraiser for Glass Panels between the Allies

Spinexel

Hey Jones, I have a beefy CoJ submission this week, but I feel that it is for the greater good. I have spent about an hour and a half looking through the Easy Allies reddit, and Easy Allies Resetera thread, attempting to gather the overall communities thoughts on the current state of Easy Allies. The big topics I have compiled are streaming, and content. Streaming: In general, people dislike long playthroughs and games allies have already played before. Quotes from the community are, "I much prefer a mix of games being streamed to a consistent stream." or "I wish they would stream more games that they haven't played before. Games in which they can engage more with chat. I'm so uninterested in the Huber Fortnite, Brad Zelda, Ben Persona, Brandon AC, and Damiani FFXIV streams." Along with that, multiple people wished that Easy Allies either made all streams more then 1 ally, even if it meant less streams. Saying, "In the current era, co-op/multiplayer streams are definitely the way to go" or "I really just hope for more duo type streams or even streams where maybe someone hops in on Zoom for even part of it. I think having that extra dynamic helps." One community member pretty much summed it all up in this post, "I love the allies but when I tune in to watch one of them play a game, I don’t tune in for the game itself, but to watch them play it and get their takes, their reactions, their opinions. Right now, it’s just a guy sitting silently playing a game with an occasional comment. Ben with persona, Damiani with ff, Brad with zelda, huber with lou2. They all just sit there and play a game, there’s no conversation going, at least have another ally there and just talk. That’s why I never liked their solo streams. Kyle now is playing through FF9 and I couldn’t care less about the game but that man doesn’t shut up, it’s engaging, he gets into discussions with chat, they ask questions and he answers and he asks questions, he gives his opinions about what’s happening in the game, he talks about random stuff, that’s fun. That doesn’t happen in any of the allies streams." Content: The other massive topic in the community is content. About 9 days ago a poll went up asking the community what Easy Allies's focus should be. There were three options. The first being more heavily edited content and scripted content, based on the team at Easy Allies rather then video game news. Examples being Dont Skip, Hunting Huber, and the Luminous video. The trade off being 1/4th the amount of content. The second option was more unscripted content based on video game news and not the team at Easy Allies. Examples being Impressions videos and interview videos like the Flight Sim video, the Crusader Kings video, and the Ori video. The third option was for current Easy Allies. In the end, Out of 114 votes, 75 voted for more scripted/personality based content. 22 for more unscripted content, and only 17 for current Easy Allies. Community members say, "Quality over quantity. Dump streaming and unedited things. More prepared content like reviews, retrospectives, top 10s, carefully planned deep dives, etc. My time is valuable so streaming is an instant no watch for me" along with someone saying "This kind of content (interviews/impressions) isn't as exciting as other things, like what others have listed, and I tend to agree. I recognize that they (edited content) require more work, but I do also believe that hard work doesn't go unnoticed." Overall, the community watches Easy Allies for them, rather then for news. Fans think that there is a disconnect between what we want, and what you guys produce. While most of us want non-journalistic content, Easy Allies seems to have their visions set on being another IGN. I understand if this may be too loaded for a non editorial question on CoJ, but I felt like us on the unofficial reddit should absolutely be heard by more then just Ben, who seems to be the only ally paying attention on there. Every comment I've taken has been said out of respect for the team at Easy Allies, because we all care enough to post 200 comments about our EZA hopes. Do you feel like Easy Allies should make a big change, or do you feel like the current state is where you want it to be? Thanks, Spinexel

Spinexel

Hello Brandon. Is it easier or harder to produce and episode of Easy Allies Podcast when there aren’t many submissions for Love & Respect and opening segment? P.S. You need to rename Early Access tier to Beta Access tier. (To be clear, I like getting “bugged” versions from time to time, because raw nature of such videos makes it feel more personal and more exclusive.)

Alexander Zyryanov

Hey Jones, just wanted to chime in after your comment about the Gareth Coker's interview not getting the views you expected. The reason I ended up not watching the video, even though I jumped on it the second I saw the title (HUGE video game/classical music nerd here), is the spoiler disclaimer at the start. Don't get me wrong, I was really happy it was there, since I've had Ori on my backlog for eternity and somehow managed to stay fairly in the dark about the game. I just figured maybe other viewers are in the same boat as I am, which could explain the low view count? In any case, I personally can't wait to watch it, and I think it's the type of video that adds to the already impressive diversity you and the allies give us. I hope, as you said, that you have the chance to do more interviews with composers, and I hope this can at least demonstrate that not all "non-views" are done for negative reasons. :) Keep up the great work, and most of all, keep doing you. Love and respect from a long time lurker/shy Patron - Marie-Noëlle

Hello Jones. Talk to me about Galaxy of Heroes. I've been playing it every day for the last ten months and I'm finally close to unlocking both Revans. What are your main teams? Any tips on how to be more efficient in order to still unlock stuff without spending money? Also, side note: Really love the Silver Lining segment on the Podcast!

Olf Himself

Hey Mr. Jones! Last week when you responded to a question about a perception of EZA “coasting” or going along with “the status quo,” I was reminded of my question awhile back about perception of EZA from the industry, so to combine the two for this week: Has EZA ever considered doing a public, open to anyone survey to gauge how fans, subscribers, and potential newcomers view EZA? I know there’s a lot of understandable and necessary Patreon focus primarily as it’s EZA main income, but has any Ally ever thought about gauging what viewers like, don’t like, and other things about the group? I’m not asking if such a survey be used to generate new show/stream ideas or if said survey is even necessary, but would such a thing be a good idea to do? If EZA would create one, you could leave it up for a couple of weeks and sign off podcasts before the “Rights & Responsibilities” segment to direct people to leave their feedback. Thanks again for reading my question and as always have a wonderful rest of your day! Cheers! QUESTION: Has EZA ever considered doing a public, open to anyone survey to gauge how fans, subscribers, and potential newcomers view EZA, whether it be positive, negative, or other observations? I know there have been Patron focused things like this in the past, and rightfully so, but would having a survey open to all just to get the idea of the consensus on EZA be a good idea?

Brandon K Gann

Too bad they are in california 🙄

Are you guys still currently paying rent for your studio? If so, you have have the right to go there and work. If some of you guys are uncomfortable going I understand but for those that are not you guys should. Just saying.