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Easy Allies |EZOT2| Love & Respect
- Thread starter Auctopus
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I'm just now watching the group stream but my feeling is that the first Hall of Greats should have had more entries allowed in so we could get the gimmes out of the way or maybe just inducting games like Mario 64, Metal Gear, Street Fighter etc without the need for a vote
It is cool to see the gimmes being pitted against each other, but it also sucks to know that 80% of the games stand no chance before voting even starts
Yeah, I do think anything that gets 10 points should be in. It swayed enough people at that point to be considered one of the greats presented.
Razgriz-Specter
Member
Im sad to admit I was never feeling Don compared to everyone else...
Until the two Hall of Greats videos.
Until the two Hall of Greats videos.
Have you ever seen Don's Discount Gaming? It's so delightful.
Razgriz-Specter
Member
Couldn't the same be said about any fighting/sports game? Heck possibly any multiplayer focused game without a unique campaign.
How do you feel about Ocarina of Time? Awakening is more like a 2D OoT. The only problem I had with it is the limitation of two buttons (you have to switch tools too often).
A Link to the Past was too difficult for me and I dropped it.
The problem with the latest Patreon bumps is that they're getting new patrons at roughly the same rate than before, and the bumps are due to existing patrons up-pledging like crazy. That shows an unwavering dedication of the fanbase, however it's not a sustainable long-term situation. They should find some ways to advertise themselves in the industry more, so that they can attract more people.
E3 is good for that, as is the coverage of other events and reviews, but it's not enough in an entire year.
Link's Awakening does have more context and a more vivid world, but boy if gameplay-wise Alttp isn't better at everything.
Most people preferring Link's Awamening over Alttp is because they've played it on the original GB back in the day and were amazed by it.
That's my opinion after having played both a few years ago for the first time.
E3 is good for that, as is the coverage of other events and reviews, but it's not enough in an entire year.
Alttp is far superior.
Link's Awakening does have more context and a more vivid world, but boy if gameplay-wise Alttp isn't better at everything.
Most people preferring Link's Awamening over Alttp is because they've played it on the original GB back in the day and were amazed by it.
That's my opinion after having played both a few years ago for the first time.
Personally, Link's Awakening is my 2nd favourite top-down Zelda game, and A Link to the Past is my 2nd least favourite. I've played all of them except for the first Four Swords and Triforce Heroes.
Opinions differ, of course.
Roberto Larcos
Member
A Link Between Worlds is a fine place to start. It can be had for pretty cheap on 3DS these days.
Yup, I think Jones said that was one of his main goals for the year on one of the Cup of Jones episodes. Him not being as present on the E3 live streams as he was last year is probably him greasing some palms, as well as soaking things in for the podcast discussions.
I guess the main issue with cross promotion is that EZA is still small time. It benefits EZA if for instance Brandon is on someone else's podcast, but what would they get in return?
Having this dedicated base is one helluva foundation to build on though. Just how to build on it is the tricky part.
Itchy//Tasty
Member
Hall of Greats is such a good watch; fast becoming one of my favourite EZA things, it really brings out all their personalities and you get some great discussion as well.
Any idea when E3 bets are happening?
Any idea when E3 bets are happening?
As close to the event as possible, so filmed a week on Tuesday I would imagine.
Yeah, that's why I'm not that upset about him not being on stream much at E3, it's a necessary evil.
Anyway, people should fight to have Brandon on their podcasts for his voice alone. ͡͡° ͜ʖ ͡°
DoctorFling
Member
Link's Awakening is the best 2D Zelda and perhaps the finest zelda overall (in my humble opinion). It's a real delight, my only issue is it is the annoying "you can't lift this" message whenever you go near a heavy rock.
Razgriz-Specter
Member
Jones will be there for the betting special right?
Brand Manager has to return.
Brand Manager has to return.
That's what happens when you don't share the video where Kyle explains his new project with your 105k subs on YouTube. Yeah, I know, the post on patreon itself is public, but let's be honest here, you don't check a patreon page if you're not a patron. Wasted potential.
Honestly, as much fun as the show might be. I don't think it's something that has a chance to attract much new Patrons even with added visibility. Kyle might be the most well known and even most liked of the EZA by people outside the current community, but pitching a paper doll show to people not big fans already isn't going to impress that many people. How many of us would be excited/interested in that show if it was from someone we didn't really care about? If we are just thinking about the concept and possible execution, what would make people invest money in it. I can't see people who are more "casual" watchers/listeners of Podcasts and reviews jumping in, the D&D / Fiasconauts crowd I can. But that group isn't big.
Edit: If they aren't Patreons already for the content they enjoy, it's unlikely they would financially support a shot in the dark like this. It's the biggest fans of Kyle and people who love the special creativity of EZA who support this. Not those who come for the gaming related content, which is clearly the biggest part of the audience.
I feel like I said the same thing in so many different ways now =D Just want to be clear what I think.
Absolutely, EZA is in a good place. I still wish them more success, but it really surprises me how much focus and worry people put in their finances. I agree with that E3 part also, that's something that will bring new followers once again for sure.
Holundrian
Unconfirmed Member
I just want to say that I totally get being frustrated by somewhat slow growth but I just want to emphasize that the patreon is generally growing and even if it's slow it's very stable growth(as in we may not gain big influx spikes but we also rarely get tons of people leaving the recent biggest fluctuations I remember have generally been because of the sponsor tiers being vacant for a while, though correct me if I'm wrong on that). So really that's totally something to be positive about. As for bigger growth spikes it's going to be all tied to events like e3 where the chance for new eyes finding them will be at its highest or them experimenting with patreon tiers(through raising/lowering the value of some, adding new ones, etc). Third thing that could also lead to that is just some random video of them going viral for whatever reason.
Basically TLDR I get the frustration but let's also not forget that there's nothing really to be down about.
Basically TLDR I get the frustration but let's also not forget that there's nothing really to be down about.
Razgriz-Specter
Member
When I start back at work in June im definitely in, disappointed I haven't been able to already.
"I would like a pepperoni pizza please". That bit after podcast halftime killed me.
They were saying he'll be there as they said they are trying to come up with questions that Jones won't know the answer to after judges week. Don't think they'll be in character outside of Cold Blooded and Ultima though as they're just betting participants.
Napalm_Frank
Member
C'mon folks. Everyone knows Alundra is the best 2D Zelda #oneofthegreats
Anyhoo the problem with latest podcast thinking about MS having some major new IP to show that is far along to show gameplay is... who exactly is developing it? Afaik all big MS srudios are either tied up to current projects or just finished with their old one (Gears).
Personally I think the best way is to lock as many great multiplatform showings as possible to make the overall mood of the conference exciting. The first Phantom Pain trailer for example was IMO easily the best moment of 2013 MS conference even tho it's very much a "Sony game".
Anyhoo the problem with latest podcast thinking about MS having some major new IP to show that is far along to show gameplay is... who exactly is developing it? Afaik all big MS srudios are either tied up to current projects or just finished with their old one (Gears).
Personally I think the best way is to lock as many great multiplatform showings as possible to make the overall mood of the conference exciting. The first Phantom Pain trailer for example was IMO easily the best moment of 2013 MS conference even tho it's very much a "Sony game".
Heh, FFXII doesn't fit my personal tastes at all so didn't watct that video, but what you said reminded me of my own similar thoughts. Biggest indicators for me though have been Goty talk and Hall of the Greats. I think there has been like 4 western developed games as hall of greats nominees at the moment? And none of these games ever had a chance, not to say that these would be games deserving to be there over what they picked neccessarily. Well Goldeneye, Wow and Sim City should get recognition, I don't know about Sim City 4 specifically though since I haven't played it so can't comment. Also the lack of interest and coverage for games like Torment: Tides of Numenera. It got a quick mention by name in Frame Trap once by Ben, when talking about possible Goty candidates but to other allies it seemed like a game that might as well not exist at all. This game is related to Planescape Torment, which just got a remaster. It's often regarded as best RPG of all time, haven't got even a mention from allies that this was released. I don't expect it to get in their hall of greats, but since there are really big RPG fans in the group I'm really dissappointed nobody has picked it up and given few words about it. There are other examples too in games and developers that have great pedigree in shaping the gaming landscape through the years, but get no coverage.
And it's not like I don't enjoy japanese games, this isn't japan vs west situation for me. I've played and respect all the games inducted to hall of greats so far, but EZA seems to put japanese games on a much higher pedestal than western games. And personally I love both so much, it feels bad when I feel the other side is bit dismissed. Especially the history and legacy of it.
This all being said, I love the Allies and love their content. And I'm not drifting away from enjoying them, but thoughts like above come to my mind from time to time. And this isn't first time I open about it in this thread either, so I apologize if people are sick of hearing about it =P
I tried twice to get into FFXII, but I just couldn't do it when it came out. My least liked FF together with that abomination that is XIII. However I enjoyed their discussion because they were eager and honest in their opinions, actually made me want to give the game another chance.
I do think that EZA could use some more PC focus and I was amazed by Don bringing up SimCity 4, too bad he's not on screen more because I believe he'd have some pretty unique views. Ian is more PC and indie oriented but streams very rarely, Blood does seem to be knowledgeable about PC stuff as well, but has been streaming EarthBound for months with few other games inbetween. The other Allies are way more into console gaming than anything.
I mean, I've grown with both worlds, so if I was one of them I'd have probably nominated Baldur's Gate II and StarCraft for The Hall of Greats, alongside OoT and FFVII. I doubt that such amazing PC games will ever be considered by them as serious contenders.
Kyle is a very anxious person, he said on Patreon that he didn't put it on Youtube because he feared the comments. If he felt forced to advertise the show on Youtube we might have gotten nothing at all. The show has been basically already founded as well, so it made little difference in the end, after all the bump is only to get over 44k, the Pateon wouldn't have skyrocketed at 50k if he posted the pitch on Youtube.
I do think that EZA could use some more PC focus and I was amazed by Don bringing up SimCity 4, too bad he's not on screen more because I believe he'd have some pretty unique views. Ian is more PC and indie oriented but streams very rarely, Blood does seem to be knowledgeable about PC stuff as well, but has been streaming EarthBound for months with few other games inbetween. The other Allies are way more into console gaming than anything.
I mean, I've grown with both worlds, so if I was one of them I'd have probably nominated Baldur's Gate II and StarCraft for The Hall of Greats, alongside OoT and FFVII. I doubt that such amazing PC games will ever be considered by them as serious contenders.
Kyle is a very anxious person, he said on Patreon that he didn't put it on Youtube because he feared the comments. If he felt forced to advertise the show on Youtube we might have gotten nothing at all. The show has been basically already founded as well, so it made little difference in the end, after all the bump is only to get over 44k, the Pateon wouldn't have skyrocketed at 50k if he posted the pitch on Youtube.
TheDarkKnight774
Member
I'm 100% sure Ben would love to cover Planescape but like usual he's been swamped with reviews and getting back to Trails in the Sky don't skip. And now an onslaught of fighting games are on the horizon. He's said numerous times BG2 is one his favorite RPGs of all time.
Brad plays a decent amount of games on PC as does Damiani, and Ian. But most the games they play/cover are also on consoles. Ian and Ben still want to get a big group Battlegrounds stream going. It's just about the timing of other games and picking and choosing your battles. Now Kyle doesn't like playing on PC.
planescape I'm sure will show up on a don't skip at some point and when that happens discussed on Frame trap
Brad plays a decent amount of games on PC as does Damiani, and Ian. But most the games they play/cover are also on consoles. Ian and Ben still want to get a big group Battlegrounds stream going. It's just about the timing of other games and picking and choosing your battles. Now Kyle doesn't like playing on PC.
planescape I'm sure will show up on a don't skip at some point and when that happens discussed on Frame trap
Why did I doubt Ben? I should've known better.
Yeah I have similar background, from NES, C64 and Amiga to Playstation, Xbox and "mid-end" PC gaming. Handheld gaming is something I don't really have that much experience with besides Game & Watch and original Nintendo DS. I feel that gamers should embrace the medium as a whole better overall. It's too often when I see very negative or dismissive attitudes towards games, genres and platforms in Neogaf for example that is supposed to be for enthusiasts. Not saying that EZA is guilty of this, they are open minded but have time constraints which is understandable.
Edit: In regards of PC gaming specifically, I was going to mention this later with my upcoming Hall of Greats comments. But I think it showed very well in the discussion when Ian said that it was admirable for Sotn to have voice acting so it would excuse the bad quality of it. None of them argued back against that. We had Mark Hamill himself doing great job performing in games way before that to name one great example. It didn't take Nolan North or Troy Baker for acting in games to get good. Games already had great voice acting, just consoles were lacking in the tech before that. So no, it wasn't admirable it was just bad job. It was very odd there was no quick push back on that comment. Maybe they were holding back to not be too argumentative or maybe they truly weren't aware which would be very disappointing.
Scrotum Phillips
Member
Yep, agree with this. I obviously don't believe this was done in any malicious way, but specifically soliciting only those who are already contributing $ to their Patreon is a bad look. The goal should be to get new subscribers, not to put the onus of funding a new thing on those who are already loyal. Plus, a Bosman show is a big deal! and it bums me out that only a few of us know that it's coming.
Thing I really wish they'd do occasionally - update us on Patreon goals and why we'd want them.
I'm sure many don't even know what Trailer Jones actually is and I honestly still have no clue what the 50k studio goal ultimately even means.
WiseSplinteR
Member
I suppose we should expect the patreon funding level to drop down to around 43K or so come payday this month, but I absolutely believe after E3 we'll be well above the TrailerJones goal.
Will be so good to get some trailer dissection going again!
Will be so good to get some trailer dissection going again!
False Witness
Member
So... I just finished watching my Bos v. Woz marathon. That's like 80+ hours of tetris in a month. Crazy.
Holy ****!
Such commitment. Did you also play Tetris to go along with the stream?
Did Easy Allies just leak the timed exclusivity for Death Stranding?
They do that a lot on the podcast during the Patreon plug.
Primethius
Banned
Haha!
That was a bit strange given the initial Kojima departure and how huge that all seemingly was but it seemed to be a fairly minor point in the podcast. Probably will have a disproportionate amount of corrections though.
They're probably very content with where they are at right now.
Brandon seems to already be super busy with everything that is going on and I could see him not being in any kind of rush to get Trailer Jones started...
Likewise with the 50k studio goal. No clue if they have already put work towards finding a studio place but I imagine finding a place and getting it all set up would just eat up a lot of time and probably cut heavily into their current funds -- they can't even seem to be getting proper streaming/recording gear, it's hard to imagine them managing a studio/office place tbh.
Scrotum Phillips
Member
I've listened to every episode of the EZA pod and Frame Trap (and follow along this thread and other things), and I honestly don't know what specifically a studio would do that they can't do in the garage (other than being in Jones' space all the time, which possibly be a massive inconvenience). Would this allow more shows to be created (or current shows made in a different way), easier time editing, more group streams, etc. I just look at Jones' garage and it looks more studio-ish every day, so i'm having a hard time imagining what tangible benefit a studio (which would be expensive) provides. And if that's the BIG goal, i'm sure people would like to know why they'd be excited about it.
Also, just mentioning the goal probably doesn't do much for people as many (probably not many in this thread) have no idea what an episode of Trailer Jones looks like.
EZA is thankfully very healthy right now, but no new business wants to be complacent and not grow. Obviously more $ spread to each of them/EZA is what they and myself want.
I really doubt Jones doesn't want to do Trailer Jones if they get more funding, but IF that were true, that shouldn't be a goal then.
People just like that carrot on a stick dangling in front of them to be excited about what's potentially next. I thought Bosman's video was very good at conveying why we should be excited about that (other than it of course being basically private and no one knowing it exists).
Holundrian
Unconfirmed Member
If more people feel this way definitely speak up or drop a question on cup of jones on that stuff. I tried to ask Brandon on CoJ of the possibility of them starting to communicate about the studio once we're in the steady 45k but I but I was likely sleep deprived when writing the question and it came out very weird not really outlining my intention very well.
So Brandon interpreted it as communicating about the planning arrangements of the studio rather than communicating on certain ideas/goals and how it would improve things that would make the studio awesome for EZA to get.
The only statement I think we got and that was ages ago was that a studio would have meant weekly frame trap but honestly that was so long ago it might have changed.
Also FT being my favorite podcast I feel like it really adapted well to being bi-weekly I'm not even sure anymore if I need weekly FT(although I would still welcome it
) and wouldn't want that time to be spend on other cool stuff. Especially since EZA actually hit podcast saturation for me at this moment.Primethius
Banned
The BBT jokes in one of the TTE eps are killing me.
Tal Shiar Agent
Member
I like some of their content, but it feels a bit disorganized and unprofessional compared to something like KF. Is EZA going to get a studio and proper audio equipment? It can be sometimes hard to hear what some of them are saying now.
I can still never buy this reasoning. It sounds so bizarre, but anyway...
The problem is there is a decent chance the total drops under 44k to begin the month if it remains at the current rate. It basically always drops at least 1000 bucks.
Labrynian Rebel
Member
Spoiler tag that! I don't want BBT spoilers just brandied about!
Diprosalic
Banned
congrats! i did it in 4 with no prior tetris experience. long train rides everyday help.
Bosman sucks at video games.
Spoiler alert: my next best of video's title (that's going up tomorrow) is actually BBT
(seriously, not kidding)
I don't know man, Bosman doing as well as he does while also streaming, listening to random music, coming up with comedy bits, and looking at chat at the same time is pretty damn amazing to me.
The crew has been complacent since the viacom GT days though, there's a reason why GT just slowly withered and withered away. They consists of content creators without any real business/marketing-minded people in the group. I don't think I've heard any of them bring up merchandise after the first month of EZA, streams still plagued with technical issues 1 year in. EZA in general is rather poorly run from a business perspective. It's a good thing that patreon exists and they've got their dedicated small fanbase.
Not saying Jones doesn't want to do the show but there's probably just so much more on his plate already that it must be relieving for him to not have another thing to worry about.
One thing I remember them bringing up about the studio is that it would help getting footage to whoever's editing a video faster, and thus videos could also be completed faster. I also vaguely recall Brandon talking about feeling weird or awkward about asking guests, like people who work in the industry, to talk about things in his garage. He'd feel more comfortable inviting people to an actual studio.
On top of that, I think Damiani has once said something about the possibility of a second weekly group stream, but that might've been more speculative on his part than an actual promise. I think we could at least expect some more streams non-solo streams, even if they can't get the whole group together to stream more than once a week.
Would be nice if Jones or someone else from Easy Allies gave a more comprehensive explanation about how the studio would affect them and the content that their viewers get to see.
On top of that, I think Damiani has once said something about the possibility of a second weekly group stream, but that might've been more speculative on his part than an actual promise. I think we could at least expect some more streams non-solo streams, even if they can't get the whole group together to stream more than once a week.
Would be nice if Jones or someone else from Easy Allies gave a more comprehensive explanation about how the studio would affect them and the content that their viewers get to see.
BlackBuzzard
Banned
Really hope Huber is on the podcast when they discuss Sony E3.
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