Cup of Jones - 9/26/17

As a fan with an insatiable hunger for the retros, sluths and similar content would something like a "capture club" be helpful in the production process? EZA could post a wishlist of footage needed and fans with proper equipment could capture and submit it for use. For example, I've been playing Dark Souls 3 all summer can could have hit the button for some footage to share and pass on.

Zugdar

When is enough enough? I'm no longer liking these micro-transactions! I've always frowned upon micro-transactions, but I know that developers and publishers are running a business and need to make money. I can see the positives micro-transactions provide in some instances, like updates not splitting up the player-base, as exclusive paid dlc would, etc. However for too long now micro-transactions have become less micro and more mega. As an example, what previously would be a $30 DLC like "The Lost and Damned" or "The Ballad of Gay Tony" featuring tens of new vehicles and weapons in addition to a full story (which I'll admit was great value for the money), is now in GTA Online updates costing upwards of $50-60 million in-game cash that would take WEEKS of IN-GAME time for the average player to grind. Of course, players can get everything from an update for the low low price of $600-700 USD through the "best value" Megalodon shark card at $99 USD a piece. One such shark card would just barely be enough to buy the hangar property and a single new aircraft in the latest update Smuggler's Run. To afford the same thing by earning money in-game, you would have to grind for 24+ hours. And that's just One update. I'm a massive GTA and Rockstar fan, and I would gladly spend money on their games and updates, however by any measure the current prices are absolutely insane, and it's actively impacting the game design, making it one huge grindfest, leaving no time to actually enjoy the game if you, like me would want to get everything you can in-game. So, Jones, when is enough enough in regards to "micro"-transactions? Love and Respect GermanScientist

GermanScientist

Hey Brandon, I was wondering what your current thoughts/plans are on collaborating further with other games media folk, perhaps most specifically Kinda Funny. Obviously you have been up there a couple of times but are there any plans for any of the other Allies to feature on their content? I know Tim Gettys has expressed a lot of interest in trying to make it work (we all need that Gettys X Huber Hype special). Likewise do you have any thoughts on getting them on EZA content in the near-future, or is this still something that is reserved for when you get the new studio? All the best, Doug

Doug

I've noticed that the Allies publish videos as soon as they're ready. That's great but there isn't a good consistent flow of YT content. Have you thought of scheduling more of that out? e.g. Game Sleuth, MvC infinite review, and Easy Update all went up on Saturday September 30th.

TravelingSnowman

Just wanted to say I think the Community Showcase is a perfect substitute for Community Comments. Good job, Brandon, and no need for the apology where I'm concerned. And what the heck, I'll throw in a question: what's your favourite piece of flavour text in a game?

DaleBastion

Have you ever thought about freelancing the more tedious ascpects like game capture for things like retrospectives? By the way you pronounce my name pretty well

Kian Jahromi

At this very moment. I'm happy with EZA. :)

chocolate_prophet

And hey, the tier was improved! Do indeed disregard the question! :) The group stream presentation is improving a bit too, with the new corner setup.

TurboChickenMan

Been watching GT and EZA for years and finally pledged. Watching Cup of Jones feels like I’m finally seeing the real inside face of the company and confirming why I’ve always loved the work you do. So thanks and keep doing what you’re doing!

hellsfoxes

Btw loved the live element

Dale Payne

The dueling ghosts is such a great moment in Haunted Mansion. And to be clear, it was Little Leota ("You'll be back you'll be back, if you have your death certificate") Granted this is specific to Orlando, don't know how California is, been awhile since I have been there.

Dale Payne

Wow, jones, THANK you THANK you for that GREAT response to my question!!! I was SO touched, and I’ve been carrying your words around me like a flame. Sorry if it sounds corny, but it’s true. Your wheel analogy was beautiful. And I’ve really thought about the fact that it’s ”not numbers, it’s people.” And that a like or a follow could be an investment, people who invest their time and energy into you and your projects. That soothes my worries so so much And you should know, at times, you allies not only say awesome stuff about video games, I also think you give great life advice. Really. Love & Respect.

irene035

Hi Jones, I love the "turn" cup of jones has taken and this is a chance for people to get "direct" feedback and feel more relatable compared to a preedited video. Anyway, I wanted to take this opertunity to not so much ask a question but rather say thank you! Thank you for all you do, always spreading jollyness and positive vibes. Also you going on about Disneyland made me head to Paris for a few days with a couple of friends and visited the park there (you might remember my tweet with the castle) and I must say that this was an experience of my life. Before when I have got asked to go there I have just waved it of for being for young children. I couldnt be more wrong. I loved every second of it and kept having your voice in my head saying how awesome it is. So big Thank you for convincing me to finally visiting it! Love and Respect Sebastian "Lotias" Hall

Sebastian Hall

Was it Brand Manager's decision to split announcement of killing community comments and announcement of new reward for this tier? Side note: It's feels weird that I've got the last comment of the last Community Comments Video. I know it's cool, but I still doubt my writing is good enough for the closure.

Alexander Zyryanov

Back at E3, you traded being on the desk for "building connections"(to use your term). At the risk of accidentally sounding too negative, I have to ask, was it worth it? I respect that 'connections' are mostly intangible, however I'm curious if there has been anything since E3 that you can say happened because of your efforts

micspam

Since you were looking forget correct surname pronunciations, I'll try and explain mine! So, Grehan: rather than what you said at 47:13, which I would guide out as "Gree-han", I would guide the correct pronunciation as "Greh-hen", so "Greh" as in "Meh", and "Hen" like the fowl, but perhaps stated in a staccato -- though I've yet to meet an American that can pull it off; it's something in the way many of the accents have formed which seems to make many Americans elongate the vowels at the end of words. Try not to do that! :D Anyway, never mind that: I found Cup of Jones in this format just lovely! I always imagined the biggest part of putting the show together was not so much taking the time to answer questions but simply the laborious editing process afterwards. For the show as it is, where you're just answering questions and giving us updates around behind-the-scenes planning, there's no need for it to be so highly-produced, and I think I almost saw the relief on your face when you finished this video up in the knowledge that that's it -- the show is done, and there's no afternoon of compiling it together to follow! It's just more practical this way, and if it means we get it more often, then that's great, because getting informed about the behind-the-scenes aspects is probably the most important part of this show. Not everyone will stop in on the SNES stream on Friday to get all the announcements you have coming up, but a summary in a Cup of Jones next week is just the ticket to keep patrons informed.

What a shame I missed it, I didn't know Jones was simply going to try again the next week. I assumed it still wasn't working and didn't see the Patreon notification untill now.

LukeW

This was great. Pretty impressive to pull it off live! Since we're having an investors meeting; Do the Allies set targets for themselves or use any form of benchmarking with other people in the industry? I often hear some Allies mention "I should really do X" but have these thoughts every been translated into actual targets? Your success relies heavily on the public engaging with your content, so i'm just curious if you guys have any "Business Manager" strategies in place.

The Hashtagonist

Is there a way you can still have the song playing in the background

I fully endorse an EZA Buttons....

The Hashtagonist

Hi Brandon, I do love the shows that the allies had produced. However, would you consider in creating a new series that is beyond the podcast style of videos. I mean, the only series that stood as being unique are Easy Update, The Retrospective Series and Don's Discount Gaming. I feel like almost the bulk of the videos are all roundtable discussion with allies. Do you consider to make some changes in future production

Jones, I noticed in the credits of EZA reviews that you've been taking a back-seat on your break-neck pace of review editing since mid-July. Is this purely because of the souls retrospective, or did you just need a break? This isn't to say I don't enjoy the work of the Casanova himself, or the rare but delighful Ian edited review. Also, why does each editor use a different font format for credits at the beginning? L&R

Kiraz

Concerning EZA pins. You do know that you have at least EZA buttons under your Merchandise section on your site? I bought a 5-pack of them last winter and wear one Easy Allies button on my cap all the time for all the other Finns to see. :)

Ville Ranto

Thanks for sharing your thoughts about why Batman let Joker live. It gave me a lot to think about, not just about Batman, but life in general. Also I'm amazed how accurate your pronunciation of my family name is. Even some Russian post-office workers can't read my English name on international parcels. I have no idea what research did you do and why I've deserved it. I certainly didn't expect it, but thank you!

Alexander Zyryanov

Morning Mr Jones. Let's just suppose that GameTrailers still exist, is doing fine and you are all still working in it. Is there anything that you would have done that you have not with EZA at this point? Other reviews you wanted to do as EZA but could not? Other retrospectives? Others shows? Other coverages? Love and respect Aurélien

Aurélien GRANIER

Hey Jones, love the new approach to the show. Just a quick question; Any idea what would happen if you were to suddenly lose your voice for an extended period of time? Would one of the other Allies be ready to step-up and be the 'VO guy' for a while or would everybody do their own VO for their own reviews / videos?

Simon Wallace

Re-asking a question that was skipped this episode, maybe for a reason? You mentioned maybe some tiers are getting changed this week? Feel free to skip this one again if my concern has been nullified by the next CoJ. ^_^ *** The $2 tier doesn't seem as impressive as the $1 tier. The latter is exclusive access to a show, while the former is merely exclusive suggestions for a public show. In my opinion, something like early access ala the Easy Allies Podcast or a bonus exclusive Trailer Jones episode or spinoff segment would add appeal to the tier.

TurboChickenMan

I believe you neglected to say the name of the person who asked the final question?

TurboChickenMan

Elyse Willems is with James Willems shocker, and she left GT near the end to work over there with him. Makes sense. So that is how they are connected.

I hope not.

Mr. Jones What is the Allies relationship to Fun Haus? Who is spying for whom? I went back to some old Mandatory update videos and saw Bruce Green and Adam Kovic, of Fun Haus fame, as a cameos. The incomparable Elyse Willems also now works for Fun Haus. Also, from time to time I see Don Casanova and Omar de Armas, in Easy Allies videos as well as in Funhaus videos? Secrete alliance? Backdoor shady deals? No way this is just a series of coincidences right?

Morgan Mohalla

Jones, Huber spilled the beans. What is this Batman fanfic that you wrote? We need to know! One more thing. This is very important. We need a editorial on the Batman: TAS 25th anniversary from you. I know it has already passed, but I think it is important for you to talk about it since it means so much to you.

"Partner with a bigger channel, bigger group" EZA and Roosterteeth collaboration incoming!

Robert A Iglehart

is there a way to save templates for streaming so you don't have to rearrange everything again from the previuos stream? that way you could save time of doing that Thanks and greetings from Mexico!

Daniel Garza Andrade

...dont be politically correct? i wonder what exactly they mean. Great episode jones

The idea of a Cup of Jones where Jones and an Ally (or someone outside the Allies even) share a cup of coffee next to a fire and Jones does a very laid back interview sounds fantastic.

This is the silliest thing, but I miss that soothing background music.

Mac

Apologies if this has been asked before, but I've been thinking about the benefits of subscribing on twitch. I'm a Patron mostly because I want to support, and for that Cup of Jones goodness. However, I've long thought that the simple act of being recognized on twitch as someone who supports the allies is a pretty enticing incentive in and of itself. I doubt there's a simple solution, but it really seems like for some, the option that supports the allies less has more incentive. Would love to hear your thoughts

This was great! I do miss the stock music in the background, though. Any way to have that going for the new live episodes?

Brian Denu

Good stream. Don't know if you saw my Tweet but consider looking into Crowdcast. They let you lock the stream so only people with a Patreon login, not just a link, can watch it.

Olf Himself

nvm home now, all the apps were filled with adverts and no way to paste links in :/

Yes, it is. If you check this same post right now, you can watch the archive.

César Villa

Thanks for answering my question that was not supposed to be answered. Since the beginning when you said that some changes were in store I knew it would be community comments. I should wait until I know what the changes are, but cannot help but feel a little sad, specially after your confession that you dropped the ball with those. Anyway, looking forward for the changes and I expect it's all for the best of you guys and this will help you focus on other projects.

César Villa

Anyone know an easy way to stream YouTube audio from Android ? Twitch has a nice audio only mode.

Just pick a couple of questions that seem really interesting to you. I don't think people here on patreon would get mad at you for not answering each and every one of them. This could recapture the editorial feel of some of the earlier Cup of Jones episodes, which I really liked. Still I enjoyed the live-format. Don't stress yourself out too much about this thing, Jones.

liking the live format! for next week: if you could have one Batman gadget in your everyday life, which one would you want? (also since you requested pronunciation: Jay)

Ray Aldiar

Nice, the change of format didn't really affect the show, keep it up this way, it's great.

Hey, Jones! I just saw first "Cup of Jones, Live!" and wanted to give my two cents if that's okay. My suggestion would be for you to go through all of the questions each week/episode this way the patrons have an idea of when their question will be answered and also, the questions stay more timely. After the question portion, you can transition to your editorial section like you used to try to do on your initial episodes of Cup of Jones (before you starting drowning in questions) L&R to you Brandon. You do a lot for this community and I appreciate it a great deal. Thanks!

Alex Castellanos

Thank you for posting that!

Easy Allies

Love the new live format, you could consider playing the "iconic" cup of jones backgroundmusic on low volume while you're doing the show to increase the production value even more.

Hi, Jones! As a cosplayer and prop maker, I watch most of the EZA streams and that is how I work on costumes. So, if you had the time and money to do so, who would be your favorite character to cosplay as?

Steven “MXAGhost” Oz

was at work and couldnt catch it live, ill let you know how it is to catch it recorded :) LR jones LR

Dalink28

Nice

Alex Castellanos

Great episode, i love the new format !

So as far I saw the stream was unlisted so only people with the link could watch it. I'm cool with it being live. It gives me something to listen to during the day. No question from me Jones just keep up the fun content going forward.

Ken Lutz

Hey Jones, I know that you've already said previously that it's Patreon exclusive, but I feel like some of the ways you emphasize L&R and community and future goals/aspirations would be great for outsiders to experience, since you guys don't normally talk about this stuff anywhere else. Maybe it wouldn't be a Cup of Jones but some sort of PSA would be great, since a lot of viewers that aren't Patrons have no idea about this sort of stuff and what you guys are considering for the future - they might decide that helping you achieve those goals by supporting would get them better content and all that

VGJunky

I would happily volunteer my time to hand stuff out at events in Toronto on behalf of EZA. #streetteam

Hey Jones. I challenge you to a battle! ...on Pokemon Switch...whenever that may be. Just wanted to get my reservation in.

That delirious RE2/SSX night with Huber was one of the best parts of Easy Livin' by the way. Always love when people quote The Rock

VGJunky

Nice!

Swordfish00830

1) Will other Allies guest on cup to talk about things they want to improve/change and/or try? 2a) How often do you or the other Allies guest star on other podcasts. 2b) If/when you/they do could we get a heads up. 2c) If not I think it would help spread the word about Easy Allies.

Chris H

I agree. I got some of the inital merch, but I think the store could use a refresh. New, better stuff. (Copy RoosterTeeth merch ideas)

Alex Castellanos

I assume this will be archived? It's 6am here jones. 😂😂

Jordan Buitendyk

I enjoy watching streams, but if I am not interested in the game, then I tune out. I can now go over a week without watching any streams now. Currently most ally streams focus on 1 game each time. The Tuesday Jones stream was the main stream I could rely on for a variation. Are there plans to mix up games a bit more?

BeardedScotsman86

So when winter comes around, "Icy Allies" from a Ski Lodge or Igloo? Here's Jones' Pin collection <a href="https://youtu.be/LIgqWGtxYjo?t=1h53m15s" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/LIgqWGtxYjo?t=1h53m15s</a>

You did it! Nice work Jones

TravelingSnowman