Cup of Jones - April 27, 2020

Howdy Jones, I'm not sure if I'm too late, but I was just curious what your thoughts on the Inside Xbox event this Thursday were. I know we should keep our expectations in check, but something is telling me Elden Ring might be there, and maybe even the confirmation trailer of Final Fantasy VII Remake coming to the Xbox platform by showing it running on next-gen tech. Regardless, I think it'll be a fun event! Thanks!

Seth Parmer

FYI, I hated everything I read and saw in terms of story for this game. It seems like this story will be very much negatively received in my opinion. Also there are some videos being taken down that are just discussing the ramifications of all of this and not even the spoilers themselves. It almost seems illegal and just plain disgusting to me.

Hello, This is my first ever comment/question ever on any patreon/easy allies related thing. I hate that it has to do with something negative but I am very much interested on your take. Also I realize that you wanted to stay away from spoiler talk for the podcast, but new things have come up since. My question is simply, what are your thoughts on the whole Naughty Dog/Sony debacle? Specifically referring to the re-occurrence of how bad the work environment is along with the fact that many, many people have had videos just discussing their thoughts on this taken down when they never showed images or leaked videos. I for one was 50/50 on getting the game but after seeing what they have been doing, along with getting spoiled and ended up reading all of it, will not be getting the game and am seriously contemplating switching over to the Xbox for next gen. Again sorry for the first time being negative, hopefully not the last i write. Thanks and great debut as Podcast Host. Ankit.

Hola Jones, Congrats on your first official podcast. Really had a great time, and you ended the whole thing perfectly! I think the only recommendation I can make, and apologies if it was already brought up before, would be to spread out Also This Week. Not to draw out every headline, but to perhaps feel if the panelists had any take on each topic, almost like a quick "speak up or forever hold your peace" type of thing. I was interested in the new AC game, but it may have gone a bit too long (hard not to also when you have Huber on the panel lol), but there could have been some interesting takes with the other segment as well. By that point you may have been noticing the time and thought you needed to push the podcast along. Again, great work and really happy to have you and Blood as podcast anchors along with Ian!

Juan Rolón Jr.

Oh and uh, in retrospect, having participated in Glinny's Game Jam, if you do find yourself in the position to do a game jam, don't start it on the weekend of E3 ;)

RobBobWill

Hey Jones! No real question so don't feel like you have to read this on air, but since Glinny's Game Jam has come up a few times recently I thought I'd mention that although the podcast bit I'm sure took some creativity to come up with, the idea for the game jam itself started in the Youtube comments by various people (possibly maybe including myself). Kyle floated the idea very noncommittally during the podcast and I think interest really took off from there. All that is to say I love these kinds of community involvement, and I don't think you always have to be incredibly clever and think them up yourself if you're willing to sift through the good (and bad) ideas in the community. Aside from missing Kyle himself, the one thing I'm slightly worried about going forward is not having that one extra person who's not on the review beat and has the time here and there to, say, research how to put on an itch.io game jam :) Also, I'm the kind of person who even when I have 2 more trees to harvest and I see my Switch hit 5% battery, I will immediately go plug it in and wait til later to finish what I was doing. This past week I played Animal Crossing literally until it died. A large battery symbol flashed on the screen as it died that I am positive I'd never seen before. But it wasn't Animal Crossing that did this. I was enthralled listening 5 lovely people chat about Assassin's Creed on the EZA podcast, and I was so wrapped up in the conversation that you were facilitating that I ignored the warning multiple times. I'm sure you'll get plenty of nitpicks at your moderating abilities for some time but I'm confident after this week that the EZA podcast will continue to be fantastic in your hands. Cheers!

RobBobWill

For the sake of people nervous about spoilers, I decided not to cover it in depth. - Jones

Easy Allies

Howdy Jones! Loved the podcast! It felt familiar, but also fresh, and I am excited to hear next week’s episode! I’m not worried about any stumbles or anything one bit, because you will settle in and find your place in time. That being said, I do have one thing I want to bring up that I have complicated feelings about! The first large chunk of the podcast was spent talking about assassins creed and deadly premonition, and it even got into some plot points from both games. I haven’t had an opportunity to play either, and have recently considered playing at least one of them, so I just skipped around the discussions when I realized story was being talked about. Normally, especially with podcasts like frame trap, this is no big deal because I know what I’ve signed up for, but I’ve never really had to do that for the main podcast and felt odd skipping what felt like half the episode. Still, though, I don’t really know if I consider that a bad thing because I love those types of discussions in frame trap (I also noticed people who had played those two games left enthusiastic comments), but I thought it was at least worth pointing out. As far as what I did hear, though, the discussion was great, which is what makes it hard to decide how I feel about it. Anyways, the podcast as a whole was fun, and I am happy to see/hear this staple in my week be just as strong! Keep it up Jones, you’re a natural, and I’m surprised you didn’t do the hosting thing sooner. 😎 L&R TAHK0

TAHK0

Hello Brandon, I am a regular podcast listener and just got done listening to the most recent episode you hosted. I had some nitpicks I’m sure you’ll work out, but the Deadly Premonition 2 segment in particular I had a hard time with. Though it’s apparently a favorite of the allies, I had never heard of or knew anything about the original Deadly Premonition. Having not seen the new trailer either, I was completely lost during the entire conversation on it during the podcast. The panel frequently referencing things from the original game, but without any context I had no idea what it was they were talking about. This hadn’t been an issue for me with games I was unfamiliar with in past podcasts. One of the things Kyle did for his game announcement segments was spend a moment towards the beginning of the conversation introducing the game. For sequels, he might talk about what the original game was like. If a trailer released, he’d provide a brief summary of what was shown. I think if you take a moment to give a brief overview of the topic of discussion for listeners it would help make the segment more engaging to a larger audience. Just my thoughts, feel free to ignore them. I still love the podcast and can’t wait to see where you take it going forward. Thank you, Runfire

Runfire

Hi Jones. Simple question this week. Once your area has "opened up" and the Allies all feel comfortable going back to the studio - what is one thing you would like to improve about the Allies' use of the space? Cheers and stay safe.

Be honest, did we expect me to ever write something short?

Jason A. Sackel

What up, Jones? So, as you saw, news decided to drop on Friday and it got me thinking about those who are not a patron of EZA and what they may be someone new and think, it just came out, it is going to have the latest, yadda yadda. Has there been any thought to the idea of recording something for the Sunday podcast with the ad reads to put up front? Like, hey, this thing was announced after we recorded, we are going to cover it more next week. This podcast is recorded Thursday evenings, released Friday for patrons, and to the public on Sunday. So if you are looking for discussion on that, check back next week. Just like a one or two minute thing. You get people who are new up to speed and set an expectation. That communication may get a new person to think, cool, they are gonna discuss that next week and didn't just skip it, I dig these guys, think I'll come back next week to see what they gotta say about xyz. If this was addressed and answered already, oh well. Just a dumb thing that popped into my mind that may help entice people to come back. Then again, the time to put the edit in and extra render time may not be worth it. Again, just for the Sunday release. For Friday's, to get out ASAP, maybe just throw that info in the patreon post. You may be thinking, where the heck would this even go. You know, pacing of the podcast and all that jazz. Well, I gave that a thinking, how about before the intro music, like a cold open. You could give a quick intro, give a quick run down of topics discussed for those who are just perusing the youtubes and may not even check descriptions (thinking of new potential audience members) and then after the rundown be like "You may be wondering, what about bibbity bobbity, well that was announced after we finished recording, but you could look forward to talk to that next week." Maybe a little self promoting, tell em to enjoy the show, do a j-cut with the intro and golden. Keep that to 30 secs, I could only see it being a benefit. Anyhoo... yea, that's it. Stay safe and healthy. - Jason A. Sackel

Jason A. Sackel

Hey jones, Great job on the podcast! I think you did really well. You researched, knew your stuff and involved everybody in the conversation. While I will miss Kyle I don't think I need to worry about the podcast. Just as enjoyable as always. I was listening to the FF7R spoiler mode #2 and I have to say that I was a little bit disappointed about how negative it started out. Personally, I loved FF7R and liked spoiler mode #1 a lot. I understand that Max kind of hijacked that spoiler mode, but the enthusiasm was something you could feel and the hype was there. The second spoiler mode started out rough imo and I think I'm not the only one who felt that. This isn't the fault of 1 person, but a problem that can be solved by adding some structure to every spoiler mode. I think as a rule a spoiler mode should always start out with what people liked about the game. Starting out on a positive note will be more inviting for all listeners. A spoiler mode is almost always about a game that many people liked and they will be the listeners. Afterwards you can get more critical and have a more in depth conversation. In the same way at the end, I think it's also a good idea to end on a positive note. It's a simple structure that anyone can implement, but will improve spoiler modes by a lot. Sorry for the long rant, hope it helps!

Good day Jones, With the removal of the Twitter handle from the closing, I have to wonder - what happens in the event of a tie? With the previous setup there were four so the rights/responsibilities could be evenly split, but now with only three there needs to be some way to determine who gets more. Would you consider adding some new fourth task or do you have some process in your back pocket to determine who wins harder? L&R

Erunion

You don't necessarily need to read this comment out (unless you want to take it as an opportunity to feel yourself for a moment), but I just wanted to say that you nailed moderating the podcast this week. It was every bit as funny as it is usually and any concerns I may have had previously went straight out the window within the first ten minutes of listening. Great job. <3

freeze

Hi Jones, A question for you: Since you seem to be a fan of rpgs (DQ11, FF6, etc)... And you are known to love huge explorable worlds in video games... Not to mention your love for anime books... Is there any chance of you trying out Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition when it launches? Is it over or under 20%, what do you say?

Edvin

Great job moderating your first episode, Jones! If I were to give a bit of feedback, I'd say maybe limit the number of times you directly ask for an allies' opinion on a topic. I love that you try to include everyone in on the discussion, but it sometimes comes off as forced and slows down the pace. I don't feel like everyone on the panel has something meaningful to add, especially when the subject being discussed isn't of great interest to them. While I dislike the idea of comparing you to Kyle as you are clearly doing your own thing, I like that Kyle used to call-out certain allies for specific discussions to get their thoughts on it. All in all, I felt the episode was really good, and I can't wait for you guys to get back in the studio. Thanks for all the work, Abdullah

Abdullah

Heya Jones, Well, that's a bit unfortunate. I'll put in a call to upstairs and we'll see if we can't have someone take care of that for you. In the meantime, a simple one. Is Easy Allies an Elphaba or a Galinda?

Asbo Zappruder

This is a question that I saw others ask on a few occasions but now that the podcast is “under new management” I figured it was worth asking again. Would you consider using the date format “May 8 2020” in the title rather than “5/08/20” (which I would always initially read as 5th of August). It’s a very minor thing but also hopefully very small effort required to make the podcast feel a tiny bit more inclusive to your international audience.

Greg

Hey Jones, I see you removed Twitter handle from the closing section. In the event of the Jovial Penguins winning a bet, how do you decide which person gets two things (e.g. final word and video to promote) and who gets one (sign off)?

Louis Sandiford

Excellent first podcast, Jones. Really dig the vibes and focus on the week's big headlines. If I were to give you some small feedback it would be maybe limit the Gaming Gladiator's submissions to 2 or 3 patrons in order to give ample time to discuss the entrants but not drag on too long. Gotta mention how much I loved the Also This Week segment, really nice lightning round. For that one my feedback would be to remember to give the panelists time to comment on them if only briefly. Not saying you didn't do that just to keep that in mind.

Olf Himself

Safety post

Happy Gaming

Hey there Jones, (don't have to read this top paragraph if you don't want to, it was just a personal compliment) Wanted to quickly congratulate you on a really awesome first Podcast-hosting this week. I have been listening to the podcast while I clean my apartment and think that you successfully give the show a different unique feel that still effectively feels Easy Allies, and look forward to the ways you'll continue to give it your own personal host stamp in the future with everyone. I had an idea regarding Gaming Gladiators. Pitting game characters against each other is very fun, but I felt something was missing: a build to a conclusion. What do you think about keeping track of the winners of Gaming Gladiators, and when the segment wraps for its final run, we go over the past winners with the panel, tournament bracket style, to see who the all-time Gaming Gladiator is for the new EZA Gladiatorial club? Just a suggestion, but I thought it would be fun to have something like this in mind for the future to anticipate who may fight whom, and who will come out on top overall. It would bring a level of excitement for listeners and panelists for the conclusive and climactic final battle. Love and Respect, Brian from Happy Gaming

Happy Gaming

Hey Jones. Simple question. Will you and the Allies be doing live reactions for the May 7th Inside Xbox?

Shoulderguy

Loved your podcast this week; my favorite addition was the headline blitz you added. Thoughts on making the rapid headlines a permanent segment and giving it a name?

Swet T.

Hey Brandon how are you doing today. Listening to your answer from this episode, sounds like you should give that Three Houses a try then! I'm loving it thus far and I've never played another FE game in my life. I feel like this was made for newcomers like me and you haha Question: Anyway, this is a tricky question to ask with everything going on with the leaks and the backlash towards ND, but I'm just too curious so I have to ask. I was wondering how the situation around a game like TLOU2 (more specifically ND's work environment) would affect someone who is planning to review the game? I know this shouldn't really have an effect on reviewing it, but it's difficult to ignore the reports that have come out about how bad the crunch and overall work environment has been in ND to the point that some of the devs are hoping the game would fail just so the management would understand this isn't a good way of conducting business (this was in Jason Schreier's last report on ND's crunch situation on Kotaku), which reminded me of Dragon Age Inquisition and how Bioware employees felt at the time. So as a reviewer how do you remove yourself from these types of reports and focus on the product itself? Seems like a very difficult yet necessary thing to do. Sorry if the question seems poorly timed. Cheers. P.S: Just saw the podcast and I wanted to say you did a really good job Jones. I enjoyed it a lot. Especially the headlines at the end of gaming/news discussion is such a good idea. Interesting opening segment as well. Keep it up!

Hey Jonesy, I watched Kyle and you exchange ideas on what he did that made the podcast work so well. Well.. to me there were some things he left out. LET'S GO: -Repetition of phrases: And now it's time for Love and Respect, Do you know my favorite way to start a podcast?, etc. It seems dumb.. but announcing segments in a familiar way creates a pattern of familiarity that helps me know when there's a shift in conversation. Even if I'm a bit distracted I can hear things are moving along. -FLOW: He mentioned this in his MinMax interview, but keeping the conversation rolling, talking to allies who haven't spoken in a while, feeling when a bit hasn't landed and moving on. These were strengths that make the EZA podcast a solid listen. It never has long awkward silences or rambling. The flow is great. -Music: Like repetition of phrases, repeating tunes really drills into people's minds. It strengthens that association with a segment but also just keeps you on people's minds even after the podcast. Look at the comments for the song for corporate shake ups on youtube--it's mostly EZA fans! I admit.. I listen to it here and there and I always think of EZA and Kyle every time. There's probably more.. but I don't wanna go too long. Mostly just know that you're all very funny and I love all of your opinions. Excited for the future of EZA! L&R

Raven Perez

Is profanity a point of contention? I didn't know that, I find it strange that people are still offended by it in today's day and age.

Varun Kachhwaha

Hey Jones. I noticed while watching the Q&A that EZA has a lot more profanity lately. Tons of F-bombs in the Q&A but I hear it very regularly in a lot of streams. Is this a conscious change, or is it just maybe a result of the vibe change (staying at home)? I know the profanity thing is a point of contention in the community, but I do like that EZA is usually a pretty clean on-camera group. It makes it easy to watch videos and streams in the living room with the family around. Maybe I'm the only one that has noticed a difference lately, but I was curious if the allies have just decided to be more "blue." Love and respect, Josh Read.

Josh Read

Hey Jones, Is there anything you guys wished you could’ve done as a send off to Kyle but weren’t able to because of the Covid situation? L&R Logan Tawse

Logan Tawse

I would also enjoy hearing what people think of this idea or what other Hall of Great subjects they would like the allies to try :)

Radioactive Magic

So… things have changed… a lot. We have all needed to adapt to the circumstances so why not take it as an opportunity to try something new with something classic. Besides… don’t you think it is time? Don’t you think it is finally time?! Time for not just another Hall of Greats… but Hall of Greats - Video Game Soundtracks Addition! You can’t be in the studio, so why not try new things? Every ally at some point has expressed their enjoyment of music in a game, celebrate it! I’m sure it’s what Kyle would have wanted… eventually… right? I’ll throw some ideas at the wall here and see what sticks, there are natural hurdles to this idea. Since these are soundtracks, not everyone may be familiar with what is put forward by an ally. Perhaps have a group video where people make their cases first, taking some time away so people can listen to them before coming back for the voting stream. But soundtracks are pretty long right? 8 full OSTs can take a lot of time so perhaps each ally puts a “best foot forward” approach. They nominate 3 tracks that would showcase the soul of the piece. If an ally has the time to listen to all tracks from all entries, awesome! If not, just listen to the 3 from each to get to know them better or be reminded. Time would probably be saved from a lack of Cross Examinations. You can’t “devils advocate” or criticise the graphics, feel of the controls, bugs in gameplay or whatever! It would also be silly to just have a bunch of people on the screen being silent as three or so songs played per attendee. During the presentation they can spend the usual length of time talking about what the soundtrack means to them while letting a few choice segments play behind them. There are so many great soundtracks out there, I would put forward a “one franchise” rule, first come first serve, any OST chosen locks out that franchise or IP for the rest of the allies. There are too many good tracks out there for you all to pick Final Fantasy! Think it might be over too quick? Why not do more! Have two OST submissions per ally, have 5 winners! When would you ever do this again? (if not now?) Make it an event. Think you might do it more than once? Zero vote bans (and maybe winners) could lock a franchise out for just the next HoG-OST. Again, too many amazing tracks out there to have repeats too often. I’m sure there are lots of problems I didn’t even approach here but I hope, if you all like the idea, creative solutions ensue! Have a wonderful and healthy week ahead.

Radioactive Magic

He still has his twitter account.

Olf Himself

Now that Kyle Bosman has left EZA I was wondering if you reached out to Jason Levelle as a possible replacement for Kyle. Jason's Last Levelle seemed to be always doig much better metrics-wise than The Final Bosman and no matter how much Kyle tried, I always felt the rivarly between the two was very one-side as Jason had better things to worry about. Still, I'm sure Jason would love to twist the knife even further by coming to Easy Allies and helping Easy Allies explode on Youtube and Patreon the way Kyle never could. I'm even sure he wouldn't be so stuck in his way and would reprise his Last Levelle show for EZA. On a more serious note though, now that Kyle left I was wondering what would be the best way to contact him to wish his best of luck in the future? I missed the last couple of week due to a busy schedule and didn't get to send any parting words to him. Thank you

Hey Jones, I'm really looking forward to this week's podcast and how you'll cover the whole Last of Us 2 fiasco :) Hope you guys will have some juicy takes!

Nut Kon

Personal question. If I’m not mistaking, you like both video editing and theater. Do you miss “cuts” and “camera angle changes” when you watch stage performance?

Alexander Zyryanov

(Sorry for posting this in the audio upload last week) Firstly Jones can I say I'm really looking forward to you hosting the podcast. Change can be scary and uncertain but knowing you'll be putting 110% into it makes me enthusiastic for the future. Secondly and completely unrelated, how would the allies feel about making their PSN usernames/gamertags/friend codes public? (Or at the least available to patreons) I know the main negative would be that it would open the possibility of abusing what is a personal account but for me at least it would be really interesting in just seeing what you guys are playing. Im not a multiplayer gamer so I wouldn't be interested that much in playing but rather having another avenue to connect. Thanks as always. P.s huge fan of the desire index. Bring it back!

Cabbagelad

Just commenting to say I love the idea of What Scares Daniel Bloodworth horror show and suggesting a name: "Fear of Blood" - B-Ray

Brandon Ray

Hello Jones! I've beat RE3 Remake 4 times, and am new to the franchise starting with RE7 and 2 Remake, I was wondering, because I feel as though you enjoy these games in the same way I do, which one you would recommend I pick up next? I've only played RE 7, Nemesis, RE 2 Remake and RE3 remake

Todd Kremer

Hey Jones, You can watch videos at the same time synced on YouTube /Netflix etc. With Chrome extensions https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/watch-youtube-together/

Ibrahim Sozer

Hey Mr. Jones! The majority of this post deals with the ongoing pandemic but the question will be EZA focused. Apologies if this is tangential and/or a touch heavy, but as the weeks have gone by and there being a large number of people protesting for their respective states to be “re-opened,” I’m curious how the state of California is handling their Shelter in Place order, and how it’s not uniform nationwide. I live in a state that I disagree with how it’s being handled (among a vast amount of other things when things were “normal”) and I’m seeing how several states are starting to reintegrate certain businesses and the like as April ends and May begins. This led me to thinking how EZA will transition back to the studio once your state gives the all-clear. So the question: Will starting back up in the studio be instant once SiP has elapsed, or will it be a slower process with the Allies going back to the space at their own pace? Thanks for taking my question and as always have a wonderful rest of your day! Cheers! QUESTION: Once Shelter-in-Place concludes for California, will returning to use the Studio be immediate, going back to using the stream room and the studio with no more Zoom calls or will it be more gradual and take some time as each Ally becomes comfortable at their own pace leaving their homes and be in close proximity with one another?

Brandon K Gann

Hello Skimbleshanks, With Kyle Bosman no longer part of EZA, does it mean he can become a patreon and submit to a tier to get access of the EZA content? Or does he get a free pass for everything to watch? Will we get a submission to L&R by a certain Bosman K. someday? Love and Respect Aurélien

Aurélien GRANIER

Safety reply

the_finnish_ally

Hey Jones, no need to read this on air. Just to clarify about the clipped "teaser" segments: I didn't mean you should put them on your podcast playlist. Obviously they should be their own separate thing. But the video's main function should be raising awareness and directing traffic to your main podcast that you'll be uploading two days later. This 10 minute "PS5’s Limited Backwards Compatibility" is a perfect example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j9dlPjBp4Y&t=4706s Short video, catchy title. Maybe start with a 10 second podcast promo, then the clip of guys discussing the issue and end with Patreon promo. Thats it.

the_finnish_ally

Opening bit suggestion: Famous First Words, do the opposite of Bossman, and have Patron's post a games first words, so that when you're back in the studio you'll have something cool/funny to say for your first studio podcast.

Matt Brookbank

Mr. Jones, I have been absent from commenting for a few weeks but have been enjoying content as usual. I am not sure if this has been addressed yet or not, but how will you handle podcast questions showing up on Cup of Jones?Are you interested in earnest feedback here or would you like it strictly in the podcast comments? I could also see this being abused to get individual's ideas to you through indirect means. I would suggest, for your own ease, not allowing COJ submissions that pertain to the podcast. Of course, it is entirely up to you and am eager to hear your thoughts.

Morgan Mohalla

I've heard Youtube is giving more promotion to channels that do stories. Not sure how true, but it would be a cool way to promote the podcast.

Faraz Rizvi

Hey Jones, Just on the talk of a promo for the podcast last week, have you thought about doing this as a YouTube story? I was watching a livestream from a large YouTuber who did a story live and said how he hated doing them, but every time they did a story, it was one of their biggest drivers of new subscriptions. Might be weighted to far towards the larger YouTubers in terms of discoverability, but worth a shot!

Skankman