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It’s a busy, busy week with the Community Showcase on Tuesday, the premiere of The Occasional Board Game show on Wednesday, and a few allies are gathering to shoot Together We RPG on Friday. Today is a questions and suggestions episode. Almost every comment this week is an inquiry as to why we do something we do, or a suggestion as to how we can smooth things out. One or two of these are repeats from previous episodes, but the list of comments has been so lean lately I don’t feel bad going over stuff again as long as we can keep episodes to about an hour. And for today’s editorial, I’m excited to share some stuff I’ve wanted to show you for a while.

- Brandon

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ac8b1P2Gjc


DISCLAIMER: I take questions from the post comments on the previous week’s episode here on Patreon. You can ask a business-related question which I may answer live, or a personal question which I may answer below. If your business question was not answered live, I either replied to it in the comments, or referenced the answer in a recent episode. Feel free to inquire why your question wasn't included, or ask the same question a second time if you think I may have missed it. I will edit your comment/question before reading it live to ensure the show moves as quickly as possible.


PERSONAL QUESTIONS

ALEXANDER ZYRYANOV - Now that you have way less time to play video games, do you still like when games require grinding? JONES - I’m actually playing a bunch of stuff that does, like Ultimate Alliance 3, Breath of Fire (SNES), Dragon Quest 1 & 2, Fortnite, and Red Dead Online. Considering I might have to stop playing games at a moment’s notice, it’s comforting to play something I can drop easily, or that I don’t have to pay attention to so closely.

Files

Cup of Jones - September 30, 2019

Your weekly batch of business updates and questions.

Comments

Anonymous

Jones, you got me killed with that "Wives of Easy Allies"! Well, maybe I got you killed. Too funny with Amanda in the room. I simply meant the idea of getting them together to stream or just hang out so we could get to know them too. Totally understand that they don't have interest but did not mean to suggest they don't have their own things to do. L&R! Chris (TravelingSnowman)

Brandon K Gann

Hey Mr. Jones! I’ve been looking at the schedule each week and I was curious about the pairings for streams. Apologies if you’ve answered this before, but are the current groupings of Allies locked in (for example, if Misters Huber and Damiani will always stream together for the ‘Mike & Mike’ branding), or is it fluid dependent upon the games (for example once Trials of Mana is completed and another game is selected, will an Ally or two be switched out to form a new team)? I understand the need for yourself and Mister Bosman for things like Pokemon Silver because of pre-established content and requests (i.e. You playing Pokemon for the first time with EZA’s resident Pokemon expert), but I’m curious if we’ll get various Allies once new streams come into play. Speaking as someone who doesn’t watch streams often for a variety of reasons (Silver and the current Resident Evil 5 playthroughs are exceptions), it makes me curious how the pairings are determined overall. Thanks again for reading my submission and as always have a wonderful rest of your day! Cheers! P.S. I LOVE the new graphics packages for Trailer Jones! I have one question about them, but because I had this question already set to go, plus I have a feeling you'll be asked about it in this episode, I'll hold off until next week if my specific point isn't asked. QUESTION: How are the pairings and groupings for streams determined and are those locked in, or are they fluid dependent on the games the Allies want to stream?

Owen

In response to the personal question in text: My son was born I think a week before Jones' was and I've found a renewed love for RPGs. Since he was born I've played through Pokemon Let's Go, Fire Emblem Three Houses, Persona 5, and Final Fantasy VIII. I echo how great its been to be playing the game and be able to put it in stand by the moment my son wakes up from a nap, and not really be lost when I come back since a lot of the game is just battling anyway. You would think 50+hour games would not be the new dad game to play, but they really are.

Gandheezy

Hey Jones! Quick question. What is your guys main strategy for expanding your userbase? I see the youtube channel is at 225k currently, which is still a huge accomplishment. However, I feel like I see you guys being mentioned all over Reddit and I'm surprised there's not a bigger following. I make sure to recommend you to my gaming-minded friends, but I'm curious about what the general plan is to grow the subscriber base? Or is that not integral to your business plan? Love and respect!

EasyAllies

The only teams I would consider "locked in" are Mike & Mike and Ian and Don streams. The Thursday streams will probably change up after the current series are done. -Bloodworth

EasyAllies

It's really just a natural thing that comes with some of our content. A lot of people join for Reviews, Previews, and Reactions and then start to catch some of the other things later. If you look at Giant Bomb and Kinda Funny Games, their subscriber counts are fairly similar, so considering our channel is a bit newer than either of them, I think we're doing pretty well for the kinds of content that we produce. -Bloodworth

Anonymous

Heya Jones! I used to be an avid watcher of Kyle's Friday night streams until he started working on his Gameboy game. Despite finding those streams soothing and fun to have in the background while I worked, I realized that the game being produced was something genuinely unique that I want to experience fresh. I also realized that from what I saw, his Gameboy game would actually be something I’d pay to play. I’m not suggesting that when the game is released to the public (it *is* being released to the public, right?) Kyle should charge for it. But maybe a donate to EZA button? Or pay what you what scheme? I suspect Kyle would push back on an idea like this, and I don’t blame him, but I would gladly donate for the experience. At the very least is there some plan to have this game released with some attention being drawn to EZA? (I’m thinking in the opening credits or something?) Granted, I stopped watching the WIP streams a while back so the game could be trash haha But! if it indeed has shaped up to be the fun, quirky game it was looking like from the early stages, I think it’s a good means to either get you guys some extra $$ or bring in a larger audience. Worst case I’ll personally up my pledge for a month in honor of the game. So there’s that. L/R, Neil B / MayorMcFrumples PS. All the faces I used for the Indiana Jones (and the Temple of Hoot) gif were from Cup of Jones!

Anonymous

Hey Jones, I guess this is could both be a personal and business related question. How do you deal with it when you realize a series you've loved for a long time is no longer for you, and the fatigue that comes from this realization? I ask this because I've loved Ghost Recon ever since Ghost Recon first debuted on the gamecube. I loved the atmosphere, the setting, the authenticity, the open maps with the freedom to tackle the objective in different ways with my team. But now I see none of that in Breakpoint. Believable stories in interesting locals have been replace with a dull fictitious island. The enemies are just copy and paste and ugly drones. I've played the open and closed betas. And even though I enjoyed wildlands with all it's faults I just can't force myself to into Breakpoint. And that makes me sad. What series have you experienced this with, did they ever make a comeback, and if not how did you come to terms with leaving something you used to love behind?

Anonymous

Just FYI. On the website the Twitch schedule is labeled "Twitter Schedule."

EasyAllies

I think you might have something blocked perhaps. There's two separate modules. A Twitter module that shows our latest tweets with a Schedule module below it. -Bloodworth

Anonymous

Hello Jones! I’m curious how you guys handle shared chores around the office? (Taking out the trash, cleaning the toilet, vacuuming, cleaning the fridge, etc). Has this ever been discussed or presented issues within the group?

Xeno

Hi Jones and Bloodworth. I know this might be a huge ordeal, but have you guys ever considered having a Game of the (201X) Decade Awards video as the decade is coming to a close?

Anonymous

Hi Jones, Sorry I blanked out about the question from last week's post, I was working so hard on my Community Showcase post I forgot I hadn't updated. One of the reasons, too, is I wasn't sure I wanted to make my suggestion public because I didn't want undue pressure if you weren't interested but other patrons thought it was a good idea (or if you thought it was a good idea but wanted to keep it to yourself until you could work out the logistics)...anyways, i emailed it to you. Thanks for at least hearing me out =) L&R

Anonymous

Heya Jones, OK, so if Phase 4 of Easy Allies was the very model of a modern major-general, would it be able to tell, at sight, a Mauser rifle from a javelin? ps - I, in no way, thought you were unfamiliar with Mindy's. I was merely providing context to the viewers who may not be as hep to the world of musical theatre as you and I are.

Anonymous

If EZA should decide to review the new Brain Age game for Switch, how could it be reviewed? What is the best way to review a game like that? Do you just talk about the playful aspect of the game, and list it's features? Do you make a journal and report on your mental gains? Which Ally would be the best candidate to review the game? How did you handle reviewing games like this at GT, and what did you perhaps learn from that, that you would change now?

Anonymous

Hey Jones! Long time listener, first time commenter. So I have a bit of constructive criticism and it has to do with the schedule image that gets put out every week on Twitter and YouTube. While it looks good and is practical for mobile use, I just have a hard time seeing it because the colors used are a touch too dark against a black background and it kind of looks a little cluttered. I suggest that you brighten up the colors and format the schedule so that the events are under the day of the week instead of right next to it. For example (from last week’s schedule): MONDAY (Colored white so it stands out against the black background) FrameTrap (Colored red for YouTube) 10 AM - Cup of Jones (Colored orange for Patreon) TUESDAY 12 PM - Community Showcase (Colored a light purple for Twitch) 6 PM - Heave Ho and Kyle’s GameBoy game Etc. Just a little suggestion and it also might be a little easier when putting the schedule together every week as you don’t have to change things all that much. Thank you for reading/listening to my rambling! Much love and respect, Sara Imshaug Zephyr Moon

strawhatninja

Jones I know last episode someone brought up 4 games that you sadly aren't reviewing. I was just wondering if there are genre specific games that you push Allies toward reviewing or you just let the Allies pick what they were interested in. What would happen if no one would want to review a huge game like the Last of Us Part II which you would want to cover? Also I'm personally interested in if you guys are reviewing Trails of Cold Steel 3?

EasyAllies

Hi Sara, it's Bloodworth. The trouble with adding a separate line for the day of the week is that it would add 7 new lines to the graphic, and I already have a hard time fitting everything in that space as it is. I think the result would end up being that text is smaller and closer together, and thus harder to read. As far as it feeling harder to read in general, it's definitely been a bit of a thorn in my side, I think I've only heard that from a couple of people, but it bugs me nonetheless. When I look at it, it seems to stand out very well, even when I try to turn my phone's brightness to minimum, etc. The only time it seems hard to read is if it's not being displayed at full resolution as the text gets kind of compressed. Others (including graphic designers) have reassured me that it's perfectly readable and I even had a colorblind person elated that it was more readable than most colorblind options. I've tried a few ideas to try to make it better, but nothing that works for me so far. That said, you probably will see more tweaks to come. -Bloodworth

Anonymous

I iboshow, behove and implore Jones

Anonymous

Business: Hey Jones (and Bloodworth), You mentioned a little while back that you would enjoy having The Angry Videogame Nerd, Michael Pachter and Arlo the puppet on Mysterious Monsters, so now I am curious. What cross promotional work have you considered with other Youtube content creators? I know you have close ties with people from Funhaus and a few others (feel free to list them), but what about outside your immediate network? How often are the Allies approached from other creators? If it happens often, how much of a factor is the content they produce and the number of subscribers or viewers they have play a role in taking or leaving the offer? I've seen a fair amount of other channels doing cross promotion over the years with collaborative works or both creators talking about a similar topic, and so, make reference to each other for viewers to bounce between. Is this a viable strategy for the Allies to engage more in? Or maybe I have just completely missed the times you have done this somehow! I know some of the Allies have appeared in other videos on other channels but not really there to promote Easy Allies I don't think... Sorry if this is a similar question you might have answered before but I wonder if the studio might update the answer if so.

Anonymous

Hello Brandon. Your current Q&A setup has one important disadvantage: the host never goes full screen so each time we can barely see one of you. How about adding another PC to the conference call and stream from that PC?

Asique Alam

There never audio version of cup of Jones? Sorry new to patreon

Andrew Chalmers

Wow those new graphics for Trailer Jones look awesome! I love how the colours affects the silhouettes. I wonder, is it possible to animate the curtains to open and close at the beginning and end of the episode? I think that would be a nice touch.

Anonymous

Personal: I just wanted to comment on something I've noticed when you stream. It was particularly an issue during the group stream when you were playing Kyle's game. It's how you handle reading text while streaming a game. All the allies do it a bit differently, but I think you are the closest to just out right ignoring that an audience has to follow along (Bloodworth is the best as he almost always reads it out loud). For some games, like Kyle's short game boy game, you should really read all the dialog out loud. It makes the streaming experience so much better. Some games don't warrant all the text, but just the major points (Pokemon Silver falls into this). Just wanted to point this out as something that could be improved and something you can learn from your fellow allies.

Anonymous

Personal: Hey Jones, what's cracking? I was wondering: If I remember correctly you either had your 40th or you are turning 40 pretty soon. I myself am pretty close to finishing up those oh so sweet 20s. Recently, I've started getting more serious about taking precautions to make sure I'll be in good shape once I'm old. I've cut down on alcohol, been more mindful about eating healthy and even started moisturizing (and man, that's waaay more complicated than I could've ever imagined). So, my question: During your 30s, have you put much thought into staying healthy and looking back do you feel it paid off? What areas have you done a good job and what areas do you wish your 30-year old self had been more mindful of? And moving into your 40s, do you have a new health gameplan?

Anonymous

Mr. Jones, You said a few weeks ago you were interested in collaborations with former GT creators such as H.A.W.P. members The AVGN and Michael Pachter. Have you reached out to gauge interest? Are you waiting until after the review season? It feels like this would be entertaining content that could bridge audiences and grow the channel. If you are picking your moment can you expound on your machinations? Respectfully, Morgan Mohalla

Anonymous

Hi, Jones. Today, I'm taking a break from my superheroes movies reviews for a very special ocasion. Firstly, though, I've been catching up with the Community Showcases since February 2019 and just want to get it out there that I love you, the other Allies, the people in the EZA community and the sponsors. You're all breathtaking! I just needed to say that. Now to even more amazing stuff as well: Red Dead Redemption 2 is coming to PC!!!!!!!!!! Yes! I'm so happy right now you have no idea. I've been waiting for this moment ever since the game was announced. Best part is that it will have new Story Mode content as well as better graphics and performance for those with the hardware to run it. But perhaps even more important, MODS!!! Rockstar doesn't officially support mods, they never did actually. In fact they have gone out of their way many times to stop people from modding their games on PC, however the mod community always finds a way. The Grand Theft Auto games have tens and tens of thousands of mods, and they're all so creative and ingenious. As I replied to your Twitter post of this news, my business question for you is: Could you please make a Pro-Tip Guide video for Red Dead Redemption 2? May seem like an odd request at first, but throughout this whole time that the game has been out on consoles, almost all of the criticisms have to do with people who didn't understand the controls and the game's systems and mechanics. So not only would this help explain those to people who never played it before or gave up before getting to know them, but it would also be a great video to release a few days before the game launches on November 5th. This would both help people as well as generate views for a video that would be very relevant. I know you all are busy since it's review season, but you could use the footage you have already recorded on consoles, just put a disclaimer at the beginning. I also get that some may say there are guides like that on the internet already, however that's like saying since other people already reviewed a game, EZA shouldn't. I want to see one from you, Jones. Specially since it's the perfect opportunity for you to express how you see the game's controls and systems, how you adapted to them and the best way to utilize them. Basically, the mindset that helped you enjoy this wonderful masterpiece in the best way possible. Additionally, since you played twice - one being good and the other being bad, it would be very nice if you talked a little about some of the differences and consequences, but also payoffs you get from playing either way. Either way, even if it doesn't happen, I at least hope you and the other Allies cover te PC version if possible. I know most of the Allies aren't big on PC gaming, but with mods and trainers, it will be possible to speed up many things in case you decide to begin a new playthrough. As well as tailor the experience to the smallest details. Howdy! L & R

VGJunky

Jones! I know you tried out the bow in Monster Hunter for Switch but did you know that Monster Hunter World secretly has some of the best bow combat in videogames? Take a minute to look at this example. https://youtu.be/woejykx2gV4?t=42

Anonymous

ps - Just thought you should know that this is something that happened on the BBC last (Saturday) night: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQzAfVqHv9E

Anonymous

Hi Jones, Recently on the monthly Q&A I heard you talking about how you would love a sequel to GTA Chinatown Wars, and you specifically mentioned how you wanted it to be a Switch exclusive, and that's weird to me. I understand that if that game existed your preferred way to play it would be on the Switch, however, what I don't understand is why you repeatedly emphasized that you wanted it to be an exclusive. It's a third party game, so wouldn't be better if it came to all platforms and everybody got to play it on whichever one they own? This has also come up before on another Q&A, for another game that you also wanted to be only on the Switch and, again, I gotta say I don't understand why. Thanks and keep up the good work.

Anonymous

Was the Gundam stream moved to an unspecified date? Could have sworn I saw it on the schedule the other day.