Cup of Jones - March 2, 2020

It was our group stream game last week! :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiISQ9rarno - Jones

Easy Allies

Hi Jones, I know there's a whole post devoted to the Allies decision about EZX but I was wondering if they are still considering rescheduling even though you talked during Cup last week that really the only good time to have some kind of big events would be Feb April or August. Would they consider doing an EZX Redemption instead of having Easy Living since you guys are basically doing that now just without the beach house? It would save you guys some of the expense since you would have to put out expense to rerent the space and equipment. I'm wondering because I'm still on the fence about whether I should try to get a refund or credit on my flight or come out anyways and just meet up with some of the other allies. Thanks. Jessie Blu

JessieBlu

Heya Jones, Yup yup yup yup yup. Sure. But like if Easy Allies was a young Puerto Rican woman about to meet with the man she loves, would it feel pretty, witty, or bright? Bonus business question: Do you know when you'll be releasing the non-patrons version of the Easy Allies video promo?

Asbo Zappruder

Hi Jones, I noticed there were no ads on this week’s podcast (#204). Has the process getting ad money through Roost been more complicated than anticipated, or is this just growing pains? L&R Matthias

Matthias Mistlbacher

Hi Jones, I know there have been a few questions lately regarding a FAQ for Cup of Jones and you have stated that you don’t mind answering the same questions over and over again but I think you may be forgetting about another reason why a FAQ would be helpful for the community. I think a lot of the people that listen to your show listen on a weekly basis (like me) and while it's great you don’t mind answering these questions, having to listen to the same questions and answers every week can get a little grating. I think the FAQ would be helpful just as much for you as it would be for the community. I may be completely off base here and this may just be me, if so please ignore and proceed with your regularly scheduled programming. P.S. One of the reasons you have stated for not having a FAQ yet is the amount of work it would take so would you be opposed to a community backed faq where we take your answers to the questions and record them somewhere the community can see? Thank you, Soratos23

Soratos23

Jones with the Empty Nest Call out Love It!

Josh Burkley

Hey Jones! What's the deal with the Silver Squad final stream/best moments movie upload? I've been waiting on the archive, so I'm curious where it is. Thank you, L&R!

Joseph La Russa

Personal Question: Are you a fan of George R.R. Martins other works? Most of his more popular works pertain to "A song of Ice and Fire" and I have found the satellite material just as well written and entertaining. Recently though, I picked up "Dreamsongs" as an audio-book on Audible and have been enjoying it immensely. It is a collection of short, sci-fi and fan fiction stories from George R.R. Martin's early years as a writer. The stories are brief, but have a lasting impact. More than a few are narrated by the late Roy Dotrice as well. It is about 56 hours of content and just thought I would make the recommendation if you had time for listening while you work.

Morgan Mohalla

Mr. Jones, What level of influence does EZA have in the video game industry? Do the Allies have access to industry insiders at a level that you prefer or is that something you would like to improve. Also, is EZA unique enough from other video game media on the internet to attract viewers and guests? I already know you are, but I wonder about the appeal to first time viewers or potential guests who may not know what you are all about and what EZA is doing to get their hooks into people. Respectfully, Morgan Mohalla

Morgan Mohalla

Jones, people are losing their minds waiting for the next Nintendo Direct, but I really enjoyed your reaction to the Animal Crossing Direct. I was just wondering since Nintendo does there directs pretty early(East Coast Baby!). Will you continue to just do a reaction later in the day? I thought it worked out great, and I enjoyed watching the direct in the morning and then watching my favorite people react later on.

strawhatninja

Just watched the shiny reaction. Great stuff. As an FYI, in Pokemon Go I've got 34 shinies. In the mainline games, I've never ever seen a shiny despite playing all the games since it first debuted all those years ago. I didn't even know what the shiny animation was in silver until this stream. It's far easier in Go (1/450 chance). They also do events which raise the odds all the way to 1/20 chance. In the old mainline games, it's just a straight 1/8192 for wild Pokemon.

Andrew Chalmers

Holy crap you caught a shiny on your playthrough? I gotta go back and watch that.

Andrew Chalmers

* Didn’t realize I commented on the audio post and not the video. Re-commenting below: 😅 Thanks for addressing the COVID-19 concerns! Have had planned west coast travel for a while that I am still planning to take (with proper precautions of course) and had arranged it so that I could make it to EZX in the middle. Pleased to know both that and Disneyland are still a go, but your comment about “no more than 200” attending had me wondering, was there a signup post I missed for either or both events? 🧐 L&R -Kyle

CapnKatz

Hi Jones, how are you doing today? Nice to hear about OPM group stream! That's gonna be such a fun watch. I'm curious to see which character you pick and how you like them haha Trivial answer: Great guess tbh but sadly that's not it. That quote is from B.J. Blazkowicz at the end of wolfenstein the old blood. If you haven't seen it I recommend watching that ending cutscene. The way he delivers the line is so good that it's been stuck with me even years after I've played it. The fact that he says that right before the events of New Order makes it even more difficult and memorable to hear. TRIVIA QUESTION: (Allies please don't answer this in the comments, thanks) Let's do an easy one this week. Where does the phrase "Featuring Dante from Devil May Cry series" originates from? Business question: Now this is gonna be a controversial topic even among allies in the community, but speaking of Final Fantasy VII Remake, what will be EZA's approach to spoilers in regards to this specific release, the original game and the future parts of the remake? I know you guys originally said that you will be mindful of spoilers and won't spoil stuff in general/unrelated EZA videos since people (like myself) haven't played the original PS1 version and might want to go into this remake fresh, but after the last hall of greats and one of the podcasts a few weeks ago, where both of which featured pretty significant FF7 spoilers (beyond that one scene that everyone knows about) without any prior warnings, I wonder if your approach to FF7 Remake and its spoilers has changed now. Is there a general list of none-Final Fantasy related EZA shows and streams that I should avoid in the coming years if I want to keep FF7 related spoilers out? I'm not mad or angry about it or anything like that (at least not anymore lol), I'm just genuinely trying to enjoy your content while keeping FF7 Remake (and its future parts) fresh for myself. Sorry for the long question. As always, Love & Respect.

I just returned from PAX East and while an Easy Allies presence was missed, at least beyond my Love and Respect shirt (See ya'll next year?!), I was at least finally invigorated by tech I had largely ignored up until now. VR. The game that finally did it for me? Spaceteam VR. The classic mobile game is reborn by a new developer and supports up to 6 players. After playing the demo on the show floor I couldn't help but imagine a group stream featuring this and other multiplayer VR. What are the hopes and dreams of VR for EZA going forward (if any)? Is there a possibility of a dedicated space for VR-adjacent activities? Or will you need to sell the couch every time? What other challenges does VR streaming pose for the studio? L&R, Evandonuts

Justin B. Evans (Evandonuts)

Mr. Jones, how you and the allies feel abour playing games without music during a stream? i think the music is a very important part of a game and playing with out it it just feel wrong, i know that there are headphones now on the studio, but how do you feel about it?

Daniel Garza Andrade

Brandon, I like many really enjoyed your rapport with Rogersbase on the recent friendcode episode discussing Animal Crossing. Would you consider inviting him back after the game has been out for a few months for a follow up discussion?

Connell

Suggestion: I like many Allies enjoyed the EZA reacts to EZA stream. why not make that a Yearly Stream. Just highlights or clips given sent to you for the previous year. I can kind of be a year in review for both you guys and the community. Plus the are almost always hilarious.

Chun Lau

Hey Mr. Jones! Given your love of things such as Batman and Star Wars, I'm curious if you have a dream developer/property combo in your head that you've always wanted to happen. Doesn't matter how outlandish it seems, if you've always wanted to see it, I'm curious what it would be. Personally, I've always thought it would be cool to see Criterion (if they still have their Burnout spirit) make a Wacky Races game or I.O. Interactive (the Hitman devs) to get the John Wick license. L&R spongejay1

spongejay1

No need to read this on the next episode, but want to periodically bring up that I am eagerly awaiting this "Ocarina of Time is the best game of all time" editorial.

Scott Kaplan

Sorry, but in my opinion this is crossing a line. Damiani doesn't have to explain to us when or why or how he feels comfortable being on or off camera. This is entirely a personal question to ask Damiani himself, and asking Brandon under the guise of a business questions feels wrong. If you want to know this, you should ask Damiani, and if Damiani doesn't want to answer you, you should respect that.

Joetown

(Resubmission because it was skipped over last week and there wasn't a written response) Hey Mr. Jones! This week I wanted to ask if any Easy Ally absence has an impact on the metrics of content. With Mr. Bosman having to take his recent leave for personal reasons, I got to thinking if he not being present actually makes an impact on whether someone chooses to continue to listen/watch content he would be normally be a part of. This then led me to thinking how yourself, and Misters Huber and Hinck had to step away last year for respective reasons, and those were even longer periods. When someone must take leave, DOES it impact viewership/numbers/etc.? I know it does in terms of the content itself because every Ally’s presence makes everything better, but I was curious if it correlates to impacting any metrics or if videos/podcasts always hit consistently. Thanks for reading my question and have a wonderful rest of your day! Cheers! QUESTION: When an Ally has to step away from EZA activities for a lengthy amount of time, does any given Ally’s absence impact any metric like views, watch/listen time, etc., or do those things stay consistent regardless of who is present?

Brandon K Gann

I wanna see the group play Granblue Fantasy Versus together, it has very simple input system and the whole group could enjoy it! please check it out :) It comes out March 3rd.

sam

Hello Brandon. I’ve noticed that Damiani almost stopped joining the couch during group streams unless extra player is needed for the game. He also stays behind the camera during Q&A and we never saw him during GotY deliberations. It doesn’t look like he has to constantly manage the stream or recording since he had no problem sitting by your side when you played Metroid Prime for 2 hours. It doesn’t look like he no longer feels comfortable in the spotlight since he still produces his show, joins other podcasts and streams a lot. It doesn’t look like it’s a problem of free space in front of the camera, since he doesn’t fill empty spots. And I’m sure you all are still good friends and have no problem sitting near each other. If it’s not too personal, can you please clarify why seeing Damiani among the rest of allies become rarer than seeing Don? P.S. If this question is inappropriate then I’m sorry, just skip it.

Alexander Zyryanov