Cup of Jones - July 6, 2020

Hey Jones, sorry if you’ve already answered this one somewhere, but is HOG happening this month. I could totally understand if you waiting til a return to the studio, as id imagine a zoom edition isn’t preferable but HOG is one of the most looked forward parts of the EZA calendar, just wondering what your plans are for it

Gladiuswingzero

Just a quick question today. I thought to ask this after I realized that I have over 300 hours in The Binding of Isaac Rebirth on PC. At this point, I don't even need to look up descriptions for the items or what stat effects they have, I've just memorized them all. Is there a particular game like this for you all? One you think you have the most hours in, one you just simply go back to for some mindless, "turn off your brain" fun, or one you've played so much that you've virtually memorized? Take care all, L&R & Sorry Enforcer, Spongejay1

spongejay1

Safety

Happy Gaming

Hey there Jones, I just finished The Skywalker Saga, which is a fantastic documentary on the making of the final Star Wars film. I'd recommend it to anyone who has a love for and has seen all of the movies. That aside, it got me thinking about how cool behind the scenes documentaries and footage is. I know we're all not doing a whole lot of going out or travel right now, but seeing some behind the scenes at EZA would be a cool thing for Patrons to see to help better appreciate a lot of the work that goes into something like cutting videos, setting up for podcasts, getting Zoom calls started with everyone during a pandemic, communicating via Slack, seeing the occasional Amanda Troop or friend or spouse, etc. Sort of reminds me of the Easy Updates where you see production happening in the background, or the times you made videos of setting up the new office. I don't know how many people would he interested or comfortable in that sort of thing, but at least in the cast of The Skywalker Saga, it gave me a fresh and very positive perspective on a very hard working bunch of people, and I'd love to see that for my favorite hard-working bunch, EZA.

Happy Gaming

Heya Jones, Yes, I know. But it's too late to do anything about it now. But if Easy Allies were to choose one of Stephen King's novels to become one of the most notorious flops in musical theatre history, which one would it have chosen?

Asbo Zappruder

Easy Allies Forum community is currently voting for the best game of the last decade. The more votes we get, the more accurate the results will be, so if you can give a quick shout out, we would appreciate it. All rules and information are in "Vote for the forum's Game of the 2010s Decade!" post by Axel.

Alexander Zyryanov

Hey Jones, this upcoming Thursday marks three months since the end of Dreams Lovers. My question is if Who Is In My Bathroom will ever be released to the Dreams community? Originally you wanted to write some text explaining the game to whoever wanted to finish the game. Why not skip that and just publish what you and Kyle made as is. Anyone that would want to finish the game surely is familiar with the concept and a wall of written instructions seems unnecessary. Publishing a game in Dreams takes literal minutes to do and frankly it's been a disappointingly long wait combined with what was a disappointing end to Dreams Lovers. I think there's a lot of potential in this silly little game concept and it's a bummer to see it get left behind.

Hey Jones, I've noticed that my submission for the most recent Community Showcase with Damiani, wasn't included, and I'd just like to know if it was because there was something objectionable in either the text or the artwork. I know it was kinda weird because I was just ranting about bedbugs. If there was something offensive or ill-suited in it, please let me know so I won't do it again, and if it did cause any harm, I give my sincerest apologies. Of course, there's also the possibility you might have accidentally just missed it, in which case it's not a big deal. Thanks.

Nik Gothic

Well now I need an editorial on your Welsh heritage. Proud Welsh listener here 😄

Cabbagelad

Brothers in Arms remains one of my favorite games to this day. I remember one shot of the review where you noted that the eyes of your squad followed you around as you moved really blew my mind at the time. The beginning of history, and the best reviews in the biz!

Take a week off once in a while

Ian Patterson esquire.

Since one's posted at the end of the week and the other's at the beginning, they're actually farther apart being on the same week. Now Frame Trap and Friend Code are three days apart, on opposite weeks, they'd be two days apart. -Bloodworth

Easy Allies

Ironically, the Q&A was always done over webcam until very recently. They switched to doing it in person but only were able to do so for a few months before COVID.

Badalight

Question: What's the logic behind Friend Code and Frametrap being schedule for the same week? Wouldn't it make more sense to spread the content out so every week there'd be an additional podcast? I know Friendcode is sometimes sporadic, but it's usual time seems to be a few days after Frame Trap. For me personally, it's hard to watch both of those and the normal podcast all in the same week. It's a big ask.

Badalight

Question! Good morning Jones - and greetings from the east coast! As we will inevitably (hopefully?) transition back from the overhanging umbrella of COVID-19 and the EasyAllies migrate back into the studio: are there any lessons learned or takeaways from having worked at home for the better part of 2020 that could be implemented going forward? For example, I find that using the more personable zoom format is a great fit for monthly Q&A sessions, as it really brings to focus each individual's response and participation, as opposed to the classic "COUCH" camera angle. Not saying this would work for every feature (I very much miss "THE DESK" for weekly podcasts), but I was curious if this quarantine has tickled any creative armpits for future endeavors. Thanks for everything you do and stay frosty.

JLunaarS

Hey Mr. Jones! I’m writing this the day Xbox has officially announced the date and time for their reveal event later this month, and the 9 am PT slot is a personal bummer as I have to work during then, so I can’t catch it live. But this has inspired me to ask: Is there (if any) an optimal time in a day that would be best to conduct reactions? I know some streams are live and if the hours are within reason, applicable Allies will get up to watch, but in your opinion, in a perfect world where you could dictate the times for streams to happen, what would be the best for EZA? In the morning to get it out of the way and plan out content for that day and following week? Or how about later in the day, where people can be fully aware, and can build anticipation? Personally, I really liked when Sony placed their presentation later in the day, and I wished Xbox followed suit. QUESTION: If you could wave a magic wand and could make reveal streams and news announcements happen when you wanted, is there an optimal time for them to occur that would best benefit EZA? Is having reactions for any given stream better in the morning so you can potentially make follow up content for the same day and week, or is having reactions in the afternoon better so you build anticipation through the day and potentially have more interested Allies could be present?

Brandon K Gann

Jones, I know it’s too early to start thinking about game of the year but how do you consider what games are eligible? For example, Tokyo Mirage Sessions and Xenoblade Chronicles got definitive editions/remasters this year. Persona 5 Royal is more like an expansion then a remaster, and Final Fantasy 7 is a remake. Lastly you have Bug Fables which came out on Steam last year but became more poplar when it launched on Switch this year. How do you guys sort through/figure out what is eligible every year?

strawhatninja

Mr. Jones, Since you have a stated interest in more business centric aspects of the Video Game industry, is there anything you are wanting to add to the podcast, or EZA in general, that shines a light on the corporate side of gaming? Respectfully, Morgan Mohalla

Morgan Mohalla