Cup of Jones - February 24, 2020

The review for dreams must have been a difficult one, I was wondering how different factors of the game changed each thing in the score. For example, let's say the creation engine was incredible, but there weren't many great user creations, would you have given it a lower score? Or if the creation engine was really hard to work with, but there were loads of incredible things, would you have given it a lower score? How did you balance each aspect of the game, what things were more important than others? Also I loved that developer stream you had, it's rare I buy a game just to support a developer, but I just felt compelled to this time. This was definitely a massive risk on part of Media Molecule.

Varun Kachhwaha

Hey jones was just curious on if you guys thought about what your plan would be if a Ally got infected with the new human malware (corona virus but not blocked by YT). L&R Jason. P.S. I wish this on none of you and knowing my luck I’ll get it and need something to watch in isolation lol.

Wire rope

Hello, any thoughts about the corona virus regarding EZX?

David Barka

Hi, "Trailer" Jones. Personal question: Can you please watch this fan made Batman Beyond - Live Action Movie Trailer Concept and tell me what you think of it - things you like, dislike and would have removed or changed? Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6O1Nk-SjCU L & R PS. I'm not the creator of this fan made trailer.

Daniel Ribeiro

Heya Jones, Wait, what? You too? Oh my god, that is so weird. OK, but like what if Easy Allies was a 17th century nobleman from Spain who thought he was a medieval knight? Would it prefer to live with that illusion or be forced back into reality?

Asbo Zappruder

Hi Jones! Long time patron - first time question. I wondered how Ben and the other allies would feel about producing a Cyberpunk 2077 tabletop show in the vein of Tabletop Escapades? I am by no means suggesting another 63 episode epic, but instead a more concise play through of a pre-determined story from the handbook. I feel that Kyle et al would be in their element playing roles in a Cyberpunk setting, and it could get extra eyeballs on the channel if it were aired just prior to the games' release in September. Keep up the great work, L&R, Jamie Walker

Jamie Walker

I don't know if you've ever checked it out, but if not, I'd love if you checked out NoLimits 2 on a stream. It's the most realistic roller coaster game (really more of a simulator). In fact, many professional designers use the game to get an idea of how their rides will look. Many times, when new rides are announced, they often just use video exported from the game. It has full VR support in Steam (with Oculus, Vive, and, I assume, Index support), with controller support (in and out of VR) to walk around the rides and whatever extra stuff the creator added. For me, it reminds me of Dreams where creation is hard for most people (like me), but the stuff the community puts out is incredible. Like this fictional Disneyland Twilight Zone roller coaster: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo-_Wy1fV4s&t=157s or this stunning recreation of the Disneyland Paris version of Space Mountain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyJSFCPRpns&t=416s

EdReedFan20

Safety post

Happy Gaming

I'm really not into Magic the Gathering or card games, but I really enjoyed watching your fundraiser Magic tournament! I imagine it had a lot of eyes on it when it was airing, and it was definitely great to see so many people pitching in to help others. It made me curious what sorts of things are holding you guys back from doing charity fundraising streams more often? I imagine it's a lot to set up behind the scenes with charity groups, funding locations, making sure the collected money goes to a reputable place, etc. However turning a group stream once a month into a charity stream of some sort to help benefit others could be good for getting fresh and positive eyes on EZA, and of course, would be extra good for those you would benefit. Thoughts? Brian from Happy Gaming

Happy Gaming

Hi Jones, best wishes to you and yours, just wondering how the mood is around Hall of Greats this time around. I know some are definitely for and some definitely would like to drop as you mentioned previously. Personally I would love to see all allies bring thier A game (Don with AvP for example) or even though you knew Plants Vs. Zombies prob wouldn't get in, the love and respect you put into your presentation is why I love this show so much. Non-examples of A games would be Mega Man Legends, and some stuff Ian has done which we don't need to get into. (PS Still love you Ian, keep being you always) :-)

Jason Presents

Hello Jones, I've been interested in Dreams for a while and now with you and Kyle streaming and asking for community participation I'm considering buying it! My question is: how long do you guys intend to stream this game? If it's a week or two I can wait to buy it for cheaper to play on my own but if it is longer series that might convince me to buy asap so I can try to participate and play whatever you guys (and the community) make. L&R, Eric

Eric Grynberg

Less of a question but more of a comment, but Bloodworth is being followed by Nintendo on Twitter?

Jordan Ney

Mr. Jones, How do you decide what community feedback to pay attention to? I know that it would be impossible to look at every comment, and many can be hyperbolic in their disdain or adoration of EZA. So how can you tell when there is a problem or a great idea in your midst? Like/dislike ratios on youtube? Well written personal Emails or DMs? Tweets at specific Allies? Exit Surveys? It seems like you have no shortage of feedback, but how can you keep up with it all? Would you ever consider an annual Patron survey with the express purpose of soliciting feedback you know can utilize? Respectfully, Morgan Mohalla

Morgan Mohalla

Jones. Fan art. Now that you've finished Silver Squad, you know the power this community holds. Obviously asking for fanart could come across as tacky, and having it flood the streams would get tiring, but now that you have seen what was previously only for Kyle's solo streams, do you think it's something EZA can tap into in any other ways (beyond the Dreams idea, which sounds really cool). Have the other 7 Allies seen any of the fanart sections, from Silver Squad or any Kyle streams? I can think of so many other series that would probably inspire fanart, if you all wanted to make time for it. A light touch would be required, of course, but fan art is just a joyful thing to have. So spread the word and see if anyone else wants to test the waters, maybe? Just a thought.

Bradley Spies

Hey Jones, Is the Werehog system on Twitch beneficial to EZA in any way? I rarely see it utilized by chat, nor do I really see anybody talk about it. Are Werehogs like a form of currency like bits, or are they just for the viewers? Personally I'm not really a fan of them since I find the pop-ups annoying, but I'm curious to know your take on it. Apologies if you've answered this before.

Aidan Vilchis

Jones, I finally got around to playing Hollow Knight and I love it. Ben’s Don’t Skip is what initially put this game on my radar with help from other allies recommending it. I think Don’t Skip is such a great series and really emphasizes games that are great but don’t get the attention they deserve. I wish there was a way that we in the community could do a form of Don’t Skip for you and the other allies, but I just can’t think of a good way to do it. Any thoughts of a good way of getting certain games or series noticed?

strawhatninja

Hi Brandon, with Stadia available on more phones and Xcloud hopefully coming out of beta soon, do you see yourself playing multiplatform games on your phone instead of your Nintendo Switch? For example I can see myself to play some Steamworld Dig 2 or TemTem (when available) or other GamePass games on my phone while I am on the go. Especially the announcement of Xbox Smart Delivery makes me exited for xCloud. L&R Fabian Winkler

Fabian Winkler

Personal question: Thoughts on Bob Chapek replacing Bob Iger as CEO of Disney?

Karl Williams

Personal question this week: What's your take on this High Republic stuff? Personally I'm really excited! I recently listened to the audio play "Dooku: Jedi Lost" and the pre-Phantom Menace world is really interesting.

Olf Himself

I have a business question. I was looking at the EZA merch shop and am just wondering, exactly how many "Functioning Member" shirts have been sold? :) L&R

Max Miller

Hello Brandon. In the light of recent news, I’m deeply worried by the fact that EZX isn’t cancelled. Unfortunately there are people who don’t think about other’s health and keep attending public events even when they get sick. Unfortunately you’ve experienced this first hand last year when nearly every ally got sick after 3rd year anniversary concert and meetup. And given current coronavirus situation it will be dangerous to gather with international audience in one room. I know that it’s easy for me to suggest cancelling event that I never planned to attend, but I assure you that I gave this serious consideration and I’m genuinely worried about your wellbeing. If there are some circumstances that prevent you from cancelling or limiting this year’s meetups, then please at least take health protecting measures, like disinfecting controllers and headphones, wearing medical masks and following other professional recommendations. I know that this will look awkward on stream, but I’m sure that everyone will understand why this is necessary.

Alexander Zyryanov

Audio only?

Maxwell Campbell

Hi Brandon. In regards to Yakuza, I didn't mean to say that you literally haven't played any Yakuza game. I've actually seen your stream with Ben, and I remember that sick trick shot you did when you were trying the pool mini-game haha. My comment was meant to say "since you've never played through a Yakuza game before". So, sorry about that. But yes! The stream team doing Yakuza would be really fun. Trivia answer: You got pretty close. The correct answer though is 7 playable characters for the mainline Yakuza entries thus far: Kiryu Kazuma (Y0-6) Majima Goro (Y0 & Kiwami 2) Shun Akiyama (Y4 & Y5) - (P.S: He is my personal favorite!) Saejima (Y4 & Y5) Tanimura (Y4) Shinada (Y5) Haruka (Y5) - She has the most unique gameplay out of all characters in this list. You actually do dance battles with other singers and idols in the street or on an actual stage (and the two are also different gameplay wise) TRIVIA Question: (Allies please don't post the answer in the comments, thank you) I've decided to do something a bit different for this week's question. Let's do a quote! Alright, who and what game is this quote from: "The monster never dies no matter how many times you kill it. It just sheds its skin and changes form. I can feel the weight of the world pushing me down, I try to carry it nonetheless. One last time, then I can rest." Business Question: I know you are probably sick of hearing about tournaments, but I was just wondering if you guys have any interest in doing a One Punch Man or My Hero One's Justice 2 group stream night tournaments. Both are 3D arena anime (your favorite Jones!) fighting games that allies have interest in their respective shows and don't have much experience with the games (since they are new) so the playing field would be even. Both games are also releasing really soon (late Feb for OPM and mid March for My Hero) so they'll be relevant from a streaming point of view as well.

Hello Mr. Jones Do you sell any Merch such as shirts, hats, etc.? If so, I don’t hear it advertised too often. Also if you do, perhaps something that can help your sales is adding a Youtube feature where you can link Easy Allies merchandise directly below Videos when playing. Just something to think about if you want to feature this more prominently. , Love and respect, Faustus

Faustus

Hi Brandon – I noticed you don’t have a “Join” button on your YouTube channel. Are you aware of this new update? From my understanding, it is similar to how Patreon works, in the sense that perks can be given for members (such as early access). I understand you may not want to gate off Patreon members in favor of YouTube memberships, but perhaps you can still enable the feature as sort of a “tip” jar, only suggesting it if users wish to support you and are not in favor of using Patreon. I know plenty of people who are adamant about only using platforms of their choice. L & R! - Rammer

Rammer

Darn! I missed the chance to beat Brandon again. Seriously, thank you for answering my question about Timeline. Totally understand your perspective, just didn't realize it was such a time commitment for Damiani.

TravelingSnowman

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