Much-Loved Indie Platformer Thomas Was Alone Is Making The Jump To Switch
Indie puzzle-platformer Thomas Was Alone will be launching on Nintendo Switch next year, its creator has confirmed.
Originally starting out as a Flash-based browser game around a decade ago, Thomas Was Alone has gone on to be a huge success on a number of different gaming platforms, including the Wii U. In our review of that version, we said that it deserved to be recognised as one of the console’s very best download-only titles, giving it a very strong score of 9/10.
Now, it’ll be available to a whole new audience on Switch. Creator Mike Bithell spilled the beans on social media today.
Thomas Was Alone is an indie minimalist 2D platformer about friendship and jumping and floating and anti-gravity. Guide a group of rectangles through a series of obstacles, using their different skills together to get to the end of each environment. Listen to awesome music by David Housden. Jump over rectangles meticulously placed by Mike Bithell. Listen to voiceover read wistfully and a bit amusingly by Danny Wallace.
Thomas Was Alone tells the story of the world’s first sentient AIs, and how they worked together to, well, not escape: Escape is a strong word. ‘Emerge’ might be better. ‘Emerge’ has an air of importance about it, while keeping the myriad plot twists and superhero origin stories you’ll discover under wraps. We didn’t even mention the bouncing. That’d be overkill.
As you can see, no exact date has been given just yet, but we’ll make sure to keep an eye out for more news on its Switch debut over the next few months.
Have you played this one on other platforms? Would you play it again on Switch? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 10-10-2020, 05:01 AM - Forum: Lounge
- No Replies
How To Upgrade Your PS4 Games To PS5
Sony and some third-party developers are offering free upgrades from the PS4 to PS5 versions of games, but without a snazzy branded feature like Xbox's Smart Delivery. It hasn't been entirely clear how players will be able to claim these upgrades, but Sony addressed it with detailed instructions in advance of the console launch next month. It won't be quite as simple as it is on the Xbox systems, but you shouldn't have too much trouble getting the correct version of your game on the PS5.
The instructions, part of a PS5 support page, come in two varieties based on whether you're upgrading a disc or digital game. To upgrade a disc game you'll need the higher-priced PS5 that includes a disc drive, for obvious reasons. Digital games can be upgraded on either version of PS5.
The instructions look fairly straightforward. For a disc version, just make sure you're signed in on your PS5 console, insert the game disc, and then select to upgrade on the game hub. That will download the PS5 version, which will be associated with that game disc. From then on you can play the PS5 version as long as the PS4 disc is in the drive. For a digital game, just find the game in the PlayStation Store or game hub and select upgrade. If you don't do this, you'll get the PS4 version.
Go is an open source programming language developed and supported by Google, by a who’s who of computer language designers. It is often used in large scale server projects at companies such as Google, Dropbox, Paypal, Twitch and Netflix. Today we are going to look at the game development frameworks and libraries available for making games using Go. We have previously created similar guides for languages such as C#, C++, Python, Lua, Codeless, Haxe and JavaScript.
2D Game Frameworks in Go:
Go Bindings:
3D Game Engines:
You can learn more about these frameworks and the Go programming language in the video below (or watch on Odysee).
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 10-09-2020, 07:07 PM - Forum: Windows
- No Replies
How Microsoft’s app store promotes choice, fairness and innovation
For software developers, app stores have become a critical gateway to some of the world’s most popular digital platforms. We and others have raised questions and, at times, expressed concerns about app stores on other digital platforms. However, we recognize that we should practice what we preach. So, today, we are adopting 10 principles – building on the ideas and work of the Coalition for App Fairness (CAF) – to promote choice, ensure fairness and promote innovation on Windows 10, our most popular platform, and our own Microsoft Store on Windows 10:
Developers will have the freedom to choose whether to distribute their apps for Windows through our app store. We will not block competing app stores on Windows.
We will not block an app from Windows based on a developer’s business model or how it delivers content and services, including whether content is installed on a device or streamed from the cloud.
We will not block an app from Windows based on a developer’s choice of which payment system to use for processing purchases made in its app.
We will give developers timely access to information about the interoperability interfaces we use on Windows, as set forth in our Interoperability Principles.
Every developer will have access to our app store as long as it meets objective standards and requirements, including those for security, privacy, quality, content and digital safety.
Our app store will charge reasonable fees that reflect the competition we face from other app stores on Windows and will not force a developer to sell within its app anything it doesn’t want to sell.
Our app store will not prevent developers from communicating directly with their users through their apps for legitimate business purposes.
Our app store will hold our own apps to the same standards to which it holds competing apps.
Microsoft will not use any non-public information or data from its app store about a developer’s app to compete with it.
Our app store will be transparent about its rules and policies and opportunities for promotion and marketing, apply these consistently and objectively, provide notice of changes and make available a fair process to resolve disputes.
We will review these principles from time to time to determine whether we should add to or change them to reflect feedback as well as technology, business or regulatory developments.
How these principles will work.
Windows 10 is an open platform. Unlike some other popular digital platforms, developers are free to choose how they distribute their apps. The Microsoft Store is one way. We believe that it provides significant benefits to consumers and to developers by ensuring that the available apps meet strong privacy, security and safety standards, while making them easier to find and providing additional tools and services so developers can focus on development.
But there are other popular and competitive alternatives on Windows 10. Third-party app stores, such as those from Steam and Epic, are available for Windows and offer developers different pricing (or revenue share) options, standards, requirements and features. And developers can also easily choose to distribute their apps on their own terms directly over the internet without restrictions. The first four principles are designed to preserve this freedom of choice, and the robust competition and innovation that it enables on Windows 10.
For developers who do choose to use the Microsoft Store, we want to make sure they know that they will be held to the same objective standards as others, will face reasonable, competitive fees that reflect the value they receive, and can be confident we will not use the Microsoft Store to tilt the playing field to our advantage. The remaining principles are aimed at providing that assurance. For example, as an app developer, we have been frustrated at times by other app stores that require us to sell services in our apps even when our users don’t expect or want them and we cannot do so profitably. So, principle No. 6 provides developers who choose to use the Microsoft Store with the flexibility to decide what to sell in their apps. Over the next several months, we will do the work needed to close any gaps between the current rules and policies in our Microsoft Store and the aspirations set out in these principles.
We also operate a store on the Xbox console. It’s reasonable to ask why we are not also applying these principles to that Xbox store today. Game consoles are specialized devices optimized for a particular use. Though well-loved by their fans, they are vastly outnumbered in the marketplace by PCs and phones. And the business model for game consoles is very different to the ecosystem around PCs or phones. Console makers such as Microsoft invest significantly in developing dedicated console hardware but sell them below cost or at very low margins to create a market that game developers and publishers can benefit from. Given these fundamental differences in the significance of the platform and the business model, we have more work to do to establish the right set of principles for game consoles.
What’s next?
We think it is important to have a public discussion about how to fairly balance the interests of software developers and platform owners and the best path forward for app stores on our most popular platforms. Apps play an important role in the daily lives of billions of consumers and help to enable the modern digital economy for millions of businesses. But the innovation that drives the app economy also needs healthy and vibrant digital platforms. We know that regulators and policymakers are reviewing these issues and considering legal reforms to promote competition and innovation in digital markets. We think the CAF principles, and our implementation of them, can serve as productive examples. Applying these principles to the Microsoft Store on Windows 10 is a first step and we look forward to feedback from developers and the broader community.
This week at Bungie, we’ve got a sweet tooth… for loot!
Did I scare you? Probably not. But hey, it’s Festival of the Lost! Things are feeling a bit spookier than usual. I can’t take a turn in the Tower without running into a Guardian dressed for the occasion. Eva Levante has returned, masks and all! If you missed the rundown on our spooky seasonal event last week, be sure to read last week’s blog article.
Tuesday kicked off the Festival of the Lost, but we’ve also unveiled a few treats that will be coming your way in November. Beyond Light is opening the doors to Europa and renewing your quest for sweet, precious loot! In case you missed it, check out our Weapons and Gear page on Bungie.net, and the trailer below.
Wait a second, we’re giving Warlocks what? Gauntlets that spread poison through hordes of enemies?! I want some! The ability to shift using Mask of Bakris looks pretty sweet for Hunters. In just a little over a month you may find your new favorite Exotic in the wild!
Today, we’ve got a lot to cover including changes coming to armor mods, the kickoff of our Festival of the Lost Art and Fashion shows, and more! Let’s get started where it all began, in the Cosmodrome.
Burn Bright, New Light
Over the last year, there’s been a lot of great feedback about the new player experience in Destiny 2. Currently, players are given a single mission to become acquainted with some basic gameplay, and then let loose in the Tower without much direction on where to go or what to do next. This led to some confusion, as many players didn’t exactly know where to start. Who’s that robot that’s meticulously cleaning an Auto Rifle? What do I do with these engrams? And what’s a Zavala? The team has been working to restructure the onramp for Destiny 2, and today we’ll be giving a small glimpse into the New Light experience.
Starting November 10, players will start in the same way that most all of us have. A Ghost will be on the hunt for their Guardian, they’ll stumble upon you, and they’ll revive you for the first time. What’s different now is that you won’t immediately find a ship. Rather, you’ll stumble into another Guardian in the wild.
Shaw Han is his name, and he’s on a mission with his fireteam to investigate what the Hive are up to in the Cosmodrome. He’ll show you the ropes, and help you find your way among the gameplay and systems of Destiny 2.
As a new player, you’ll spend your first few missions getting acquainted with the state of the world in Destiny 2. You’ll have opportunity to take a few weapons out for a spin, find engrams to try different armor and see our progression systems, and have some time to learn how to navigate the user interface to understand quests, bounties, collections, and more. All of this will happen before you set foot in the Tower, and our hope is that this refreshed New Light experience will give a much warmer welcome to Guardians as they play Destiny 2 for the first time.
With the Cosmodrome coming out of the Destiny Content Vault (DCV), this gave us the perfect opportunity to overhaul our new player experience. For veteran players out there, this will be a stroll through memory lane. While the Plaguelands are strictly quarantined per Vanguard orders, you’ll still be able to explore much of what you remember from your first days as a Guardian. Running through the Mothyards to collect Spinmetal, heading down the stairs of the Steppes to face off against powerful Hive Knights, and more. There will be occasional moments of discovery, like stumbling upon a Lost Sector that you haven’t seen before. If you’re an existing player and would like to go through the New Light quest, it will also be available to you on November 10.
We’re excited to see how new players react to our revamped New Light experience, and for many of you to get your boots back on the ground in the Cosmodrome.
Eyes up, Guardian.
Mod Modifications
We’re a little over a month out from Beyond Light. Thirty-three days, to be precise. We have quite a bit to cover between now and then, from sandbox updates to how your various economies are being updated. Sandbox is always a hot topic of discussion, and today we’ll be diving a bit deeper into the ways you customize your gameplay experience through armor mods.
Armor mods are used to elevate your reload speeds, ability regen, and more to higher levels. In November, some of the mods you commonly use are being tuned. Some mods will be buffed, while others will be removed all together. Here, we’re going to dive into a patch note preview of sorts, with snippets of developer commentary from the development team throughout.
Energy Type Requirements
All of the weapon-oriented armor mods (i.e. Hand Cannon Loader, Fusion Rifle Ammo Finder, etc.) have been changed to be Any Energy Type.
As a result of the above change, all Arc Charged with Light mods now activate their second perk if you have any other Arc mod equipped on the same armor piece, OR if you have any other Arc Charged with Light mod socketed in any other armor piece you are wearing.
Developer Commentary: Removing the energy type requirements from weapon-focused mods has been a consistent piece of community feedback since Armor 2.0 launched. However, doing so meant that every mod socket would be displaying three times as many mods at a time, which would become cumbersome.
Enhanced Mod Rebalancing
All mods that have an Enhanced version of that mod (i.e. Enhanced Hand Cannon Loader) have had the base mods’ efficacy increased to match that of the Enhanced version of the mod.
As a result, those Enhanced mods have been deprecated, and the base mods’ energy costs have been adjusted upward slightly (but are still lower than the equivalent Enhanced mods).
Some mods have moved to different slots to create more competition for mod sockets across armor pieces (for example, the Fast Ready mods have moved to the Arms socket).
Developer Commentary: We consistently see feedback that players often don’t start feeling the impact of mods until they have an Enhanced mod, or two non-Enhanced mods, socketed. So, to resolve both issues, we decided to raise the floor on the effectiveness of all mods to the point where players were more likely to feel their impact,and to deprecate the two tiers of mods. This should also make having two different mods in the same category (say, Hand Cannon Loader and Shotgun Loader) socketed at the same time more appealing than it was previously, where players often needed to double-stack the same mod to feel like they are getting any benefit.
In essence, we are making Enhanced mods cheaper and more accessible, and deprecating the lesser mods.
Raid Mods
Starting in Season 12, the Last Wish, Garden of Salvation, and the upcoming Beyond Light raid armors will now drop with a fifth, dedicated armor mod socket that is exclusively for the mods related to that raid.
Last Wish and Garden of Salvation armor acquired prior to Season 12 will not have this dedicated armor socket, but will still be able to use the mods related to that raid in the new Legacy armor mod socket.
Anti-Taken mods from Last Wish will only function in the Last Wish raid.
Anti-Hive mods from the Leviathan Raid will be deprecated.
Anti-Fallen raid mods from Scourge of the Past will be deprecated.
Developer Commentary: The decision to give the raid armors a fifth mod socket, dedicated solely to its raid mods, should not only make the raid armors a more valuable reward, but also should compensate for the restriction on the usage of these raid mods with the ability to use that armor to craft your build both in and out of the raid.
Regarding the deprecation of the anti-Hive and anti-Fallen mods, and the restriction of the anti-Taken mods to Last Wish, this is something that we’ve had our eye on for a while. We consistently get feedback that faction-specific mods are highly unbalanced outside of the content they were intended to work in (in this case, the raids, which are being moved into the DCV). Because these are useful with any instance of a combatant race, activity designers and sandbox designers were constantly having to be aware of how these mods would impact the play of those activities. They have proven to be problematic in Gambit (creating a clear divide between the Haves and the Have-Nots) and have significantly reduced the challenge of dungeons.
With the raids that provided the source for these mods going into the DCV provides, we have the opportunity to gracefully remove these mods and their long-reaching consequences. Last Wish, which was designed and balanced with its anti-Taken mods in mind, will remain a part of the game and continue to reward players with its mods. However, to prevent those far-reaching consequences mentioned above, we are aligning those mods with the other raid mods and making them function only in the raid that they drop from. We’ve had a positive response to the more mechanic-focused mods from Garden of Salvation, and future raids will have mods more like those.
Combat Mods
All armor released in Beyond Light and Season 12, all Last Wish and Garden of Salvation armor acquired starting in Season 12, and all Armor 2.0 Exotic armor pieces (including those already possessed by players) will have a Combat style mod socket. In Season 12, this socket will accept all Charged with Light and Warmind Cell mods.
All Armor 2.0 armor acquired during Seasons 8-11 have had their Seasonal mod sockets replaced with a single, unified Legacy mod socket that can socket all Charged with Light mods, all Warmind Cell mods, all Nightmare Hunt mods, all Garden of Salvation mods, and all Last Wish mods.
And with that, we’ve come to an end for our armor mod patch note preview. In the coming weeks, we’ll shift focus to your arsenal. We have a handful of weapon archetypes that are being tuned, with some hefty changes that may surprise you! Stay tuned.
Festival of the Lost – Art and Fashion Shows!
This community is home to wide ranging talent. We’ve seen full on Cabal cosplays at PAX, works of art created on oil and canvas, and some amazing screenshots taken throughout our solar system. With Festival of the Lost in full swing, we’d like to highlight your skills, and pass out some emblems in the process.
#FOTLArtShow
Now, we aren’t going to be too strict on a prompt here, but we’d love to see your takes on spooky themes in the worlds of Destiny. Carve a pumpkin, build out a cosplay, or draw some Festival of the Lost themed art (digital or physical mediums are both awesome!), and tweet your submission using the hashtag #FOTLArtShow. We’ll retweet our favorites from @Bungie throughout Festival of the Lost and send you an “Aspect of Luminance” emblem you can show off to your friends!
#FOTLFashionShow
It wouldn’t be Festival of the Lost without a costume contest of sorts, now would it? Eva Levante has been dishing out some fun masks for you to wear in the wild, and we’d love to see how you’re dressing your Guardians for the occasion.
Take a screenshot of your Guardian wearing a Festival of the Lost mask in any activity or at any destination. Be sure to dress your Guardian with armor and shaders to compliment your headwear. Tweet your submission with the hashtag #FOTLFashionShow, and we’ll retweet winners from @Bungie through the end of the event. If your shot is selected, we’ll grant you the “Levante’s Prize” emblem.
These will serve as your last chances to get the Aspect of Luminance and Levante’s Prize emblems from Year 3. We may use these emblems as rewards again in the future, but they’ll be on hiatus for a while.
Without further ado, get to it! Time’s ticking. Extra points to any submissions that visibly creep us out.
Creepy Crawlies
While it may be the time of year where people actively decorate their homes in spider webs, we’ll never be too keen on bugs. Destiny Player Support is on the case, ensuring you don’t get tangled on your way to this year’s Festival of the Lost.
This is their report.
SEASON OF ARRIVALS TITLE
Due to the Cradle encounter’s weekly rotation, it is possible for players to miss an encounter before the end of Season of Arrivals if they are not already completed; this would also prevent players from earning the Season of Arrivals title. Players who are looking to complete the Season of Arrivals title should ensure they have enough time to complete all associated Triumphs before the end of the season. Players who earn the Season of Arrivals title should claim and equip it to ensure that it isn’t removed at the end of the Season.
BEYOND LIGHT AND THE END OF SEASON OF ARRIVALS
To prepare for the release of Beyond Light and Season of [REDACTED] on November 10, 2020, Destiny 2 will need to be taken offline for maintenance. In order to prepare for Update 3.0.0, Destiny 2 will be taken offline for maintenance at 7 PM PST (Pacific Standard Time) on November 9, 2020, and will remain offline until November 10, 2020, at 9 AM PST. During this offline period, the game will not be available, and Season of Arrivals items will be made unavailable. Players are strongly urged to finish any Season of Arrivals content or Triumphs before 7 PM on November 9th.
CLOSING OUT SEASON OF ARRIVALS
When Season of Arrivals ends at 7 PM PST on November 9, 2020, there will be a number of items, activities, and Triumphs that will no longer be available to players. Some of these items include:
The Prophecy Dungeon (which will return in a later Season)
The Ruinous Effigy quest
Traveler’s Chosen quest
The Seed of Silver Wings Seasonal Artifact and the player power increase from said artifact
Unopened Umbral Engrams
A full list of items being removed at the Season’s end can be found here.
PC MIGRATION
Since moving to Steam, Destiny 2 players have been able to migrate their characters, licenses, and progress from Battle.net to Steam via a one-time transfer. This transfer process will no longer be available beginning December 1, 2020. Any Destiny 2 PC players who have not migrated their licenses and content from Battle.net to Steam will no longer be available to do so starting on December 1. Players in this state are encouraged to start our PC Migration process so they will not lose access to their Destiny 2 licenses and content.
Please note that if a player has progress on Steam and chooses to undergo PC Migration, any existing content on Steam will be overwritten by migrated Battle.net content. This means that all character and progress data on Steam will be deleted and replaced by the character and progress data from Battle.net. This cannot be undone.
KNOWN ISSUES
While we continue investigating various known issues, here is a list of the latest issues that were reported to us in our #Help Forum:
We are aware of an issue where the “Candy Collected” emblem tracker isn’t tracking 2020 Candy.
We are investigating an issue where Eris Morn’s dialogue and subtitles are not appearing for Korean players in the final Interference mission.
We are investigating an issue where Cipher Decoders are not dropping often for players.
We are aware of an issue where the Masquerader’s Helmet has inconsistent Power levels when acquired from Eva.
We are aware of an issue where gear can sometimes drop at 750 Power from the Haunted Forest chests.
For a full list of emergent issues in Destiny 2, players can review our Known Issues article. Players who observe other issues should report them to our #Help forum.
Please note that Season Pass rewards from Season of the Worthy will be unavailable to claim when Season of Arrivals ends. Past Season Pass rewards can be claimed here.
Jumpscares
I don’t know about you, but I just can’t handle jump scares. When I sit back to watch a two-hour horror film full of terrifying screams and scary themes, I just want to relax. This week, you won’t find any jump scares in our MOTW picks. Rather, you’ll find some killer community content.
More Than Just A Dream!
FotL Trailer – Guitar Cover
Definitely a Titan Main
We’ve only got a few more TWAB’s to earn the Shadowkeep MOTW emblem. Put together your best clips, throw some spicy music on it, and get it on the Community Creations page! Just make sure to include a link to your Bungie.net profile so we know where to send the emblem.
There’s nothing like the buzz before the launch of a new expansion in Destiny 2. If we were in the office, we’d be feeling electricity in the air at Bungie. Things are getting tied up. We’re taking a magnifying glass to the content, finishing up our final test passes to prepare the next year of Destiny 2 for launch. Even in a world where we’re working remotely, the excitement is felt in each meeting as we dot the I’s and cross the t’s. Soon, it will all be in your hands, and we’ll be right there with you as you embark on your first journeys of Europa.
We hope you enjoyed a peek at upcoming Exotics earlier this week. We have a lot more for you to see, and a lot more for you to experience, all coming soon. We know many of you are trying to plan some time off for the raid race, and we’re looking to have some details on that next week. Stay tuned.
Writing about this month’s ID@Xbox theme sale was tough. I would like the copy I wrote at first and then I didn’t and then I did again… it comes in waves. Sorry, I broke the seal and started fishing for an easy pun, but I otter quit before I lose all sense of porpoise.
All joking aside, the ID@Xbox team realized that we have some absolutely fantastic marine-themed games and figured there was no better way to dive into the fall than to put some of these underwater treasures on sale. From now through October 5, you can save up to 67% on 50 beautiful aquatic-themed games. Get your fishing rod ready, clean up that snorkel gear, and hop on the couch to play some of these award-finning games! Alright I’m done.
Maneater (35% off) – Featuring the voice talents of one of the most underrated comedians of our time, Chris Parnell (SNL, Rick and Morty, 30 Rock). Experience the ultimate power fantasy as the apex predator of the seas – a terrifying SHARK! Maneater is a single player, open world action RPG (ShaRkPG) where YOU are the shark. Devour nutrients to grow and evolve far beyond what nature intended. Become a massive shark, an apex predator of legends, to get revenge on the cruel fisherman that dismembered you. Eat. Explore. Evolve. Definitely a game worth sinking your teeth into.
Stranded Deep (25% off) – This PC hit came to consoles earlier this year and took the world by storm. Scavenge. Discover. Survive. Escape. Take the role of a plane crash survivor stranded somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Experience terrifying encounters both above and below an endless environment. Come face to face with some of the most life threatening scenarios that will result in a different experience each time you play.
Subnautica (30% off) – Winner of the 2018 Golden Joystick Breakthrough Award, PC Game of the Year Award and Fan Favorite Indie Game of the year Gamer’s Choice Award, Subnautica is an Xbox Game Pass title you don’t want to miss. You have crash-landed on an alien ocean world, and the only way to go is down. Subnautica‘s oceans range from sun drenched shallow coral reefs to treacherous deep-sea trenches, lava fields, and bio-luminescent underwater rivers. Manage your oxygen supply as you explore kelp forests, plateaus, reefs, and winding cave systems. The water teems with life: Some of it helpful, much of it harmful. Subnautica is an underwater open world adventure game. Craft equipment, pilot submarines, and out-smart wildlife to explore lush coral reefs, volcanoes, and cave systems.
Beyond Blue (20% off) – If you are a fan of the Blue Planet or Planet Earth series this game will likely be right up your alley. Built in conjunction with BBC Studios and some of science’s leading ocean experts, Beyond Blue is a single-player narrative adventure that takes you deep into our planet’s beating blue heart. Set in the near future, Beyond Blue explores the mysteries of our ocean through the eyes of Mirai, a deep sea explorer and scientist. Become a part of a newly-formed research team using groundbreaking technologies to see, hear, and interact with the ocean in a more meaningful way than has ever been attempted.
ATLAS (Game Preview) (50% off) – From the creators of ARK: Survival Evolved, explore a persistent, massive open world with thousands of other players simultaneously. Build your ship, assemble your crew, sail the high seas, search for buried treasure, plunder player-built settlements (or replace them with your own), and conquer the world of ATLAS island by island. Wage war against enemy fleets while you single-handedly command large ships of war — or divide the responsibilities among your trusted shipmates instead. Dive into the watery depths to explore sunken shipwrecks. Team up with other explorers to discover new lands rich with resources, exotic creatures, and ruins of a bygone time. Become a pirate legend in this ultimate quest for fortune and glory!
Fishing: Barents Sea Complete Edition (33% off) – Take the helm of your very own fishing boat in Fishing: Barents Sea Complete Edition and explore the vastness of the Norwegian sea in search for the best fishing zones. Start with the little boat inherited from your grandfather, catch fish and earn money for upgrades as well as bigger and better boats. Enjoy the beautiful Barents Sea and make your fishing industry dreams come true. Learn how to catch different kinds of fish with various fishing equipment on several different boats. Every method is easy to learn, but hard to master – time to show what you are made of!
This is just a small sample of all the great games on sale Sept 29 – Oct 5. Whether you’re a weathered sea pirate or guppy taking their first swim we have something for you. See the full list of games at Xbox.com
Blog: Moving to 170 mini remote offices while maintaining your culture
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Gamasutra: Chelsea Blasko’s Blog – How to Transition to 170 Mini Remote Offices While Maintaining & Enhancing Culture
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March 17th was our first full day working from home as a studio. During the logistical phase of getting people out of the office, we were not thinking about fostering a robust remote culture. That quickly changed.
When approaching any issues, we always reflect on our core Iron Galaxy Values. We use the Values to guide our process.
We think about:
People: Recognizing that the health and safety of our staff is paramount
Partners: We are in this together. Communication is key to maintaining good relationships. We want to make sure our partners are included in our process and that we continue to treat them as we always have, as part of our team
Capability: Use our strengths to think beyond our normal scenarios and really push ourselves to support 170+ mini-offices
Continuous Improvement: We know we won’t get it all right immediately. What is most important is continuing to evolve how we respond to the new needs our staff or partners might have
Stability: We know we can only maintain stability by thinking of each person as an individual and our partners as ourselves.We also listen. We want a company people not only CAN retire from, but WANT to retire from
We knew we couldn’t completely replicate the cultural experience you get in-person when in the office, but we wanted to emulate it as much of it as possible. We already had two office locations, so we were used to some level of remote communication.
We already had company meetings, town halls, remote feedback sessions, and project meetings across studios to tie the teams together and share information. We knew this was not enough. We knew we would need to improve on our inter & intra team communications and really foster that remotely. We also knew one of the best ways to learn and improve was by listening.
We already had some mechanisms in place like an instant messaging system for teams and for individual communication and a “pulse” tracker. Each week, we run a weekly report on how our employees say they are feeling. We can dig into peoples’ specific challenges and have team leads or HR follow-up when appropriate. If we see an overall dip in “pulse,” we can look for trends to correct.
One challenge we’ve encountered while working remotely is the inability to have any casual in person interaction. You can no longer join hallway interactions and lunchroom chats to understand staff’s state of mind. Because of the size of our team, having a reporting tool to assist with performance management and pulse tracking effectively closes that gap.
Previously, we had treated game teams to project launch celebration lunches. Generally, we grabbed burgers and beers with twenty or more people on a project. I really only had an opportunity to talk to the person next to me. We got rid of those lunches and started celebrating the projects with the full office so everyone could enjoy a team’s success. But something was still missing. I decided to instate “Fun Lunches” where I would invite small groups of employees out to lunch to get to know one another. I got to know employees on a personal level and they got to know me, which made for stronger working relationships.
Having in person/in-studio cultural initiatives such as “Fun Lunches” was important. I decided to transition these lunches into remote gatherings by having pizza delivered to staff’s homes.This has the added benefit of providing leftovers and/or the ability to be shared with family.
Hosting lunches remotely has allowed me to include people from all three offices (Chicago, Orlando, or Austin). We have people from a mix of disciplines and our support staff and I keep the lunches to five or six people in total so we can really connect.
These lunches are a perfect example of giving the team time to connect and have the water cooler conversations we’ve missed during Shelter-in-Place. Nothing is taboo. We talk COVID struggles, field questions about Iron Galaxy or have silly chats about pop culture. Modeling vulnerability as a leader, especially during these difficult times, is really important. I share my own challenging experiences with the team. That’s what makes each one of these lunches special.
This led to long-term conversations about what else we could be doing. What other support do people need? Since March, we’ve also started or migrated over a myriad of other virtual cultural initiatives such as (sample list):
Iron Galaxy Questions of the Day – includes fun topics like: what’s your signature drink recipe, who’s your favorite VO performer, and what song do you know all the words to and will sing without hesitation?
Open Office Hours with the Executive Team
Happy Hours
Get Fit Challenges – led by two staff members, who are very into fitness: in person from their respective studio kitchens in the mornings, transferred to encouragement to get fit from home. I have definitely done some dolphin push-ups both in the office and at home!
Dinner & movie kits delivered to employees’ doorsteps
Diversity Rally – celebration of PRIDE with flags and trivia on LGBTQ+
Spirit Rally – celebration of 12th anniversary complete with staff toasts, Iron Galaxy pom poms, beach balls, and candy
Throwback Fancy Friday Meet-ups – encouraging employees to dress their best and show off a little
Parent and Caregiver Support Groups – parents share tips and frustrations of balancing childcare, e-learning and work
Multiple care packages sent to staff
Hosting information on COVID, where to get groceries, activities, etc
Educating staff on COVID’s effects on their 401k’s
Work From Home Bonus
And more…
Through all of this, our people are safe. Work output remains high, pulses remain steady overall and relationships with partners remain strong due to our flexibility and constant communication.
Working remotely during COVID has made it more important than ever to see and embrace employees as whole people with struggles and personal challenges. This is an extraordinary time. People are living through more stress than we have ever collectively experienced. Our homes are now our offices. Our professional lives are more enmeshed with our personal lives than ever. We see that.
We’ve hosted listening sessions, grief counseling meetings, and D&I workshops. Having the trust of employees to speak openly about their challenges: anxiety, depression, experiences with racism, fears, and insecurities is a gift I cherish. I do not take it lightly. Employees freely share with each other, HR, and their bosses. Employees know we care about them.
I feel immensely honored every time an employee shares. Listening is key. At Iron Galaxy we foster a culture that listens.
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Outriders Delayed To February, Free PS5 And Xbox Series X/S Upgrades Coming
Outriders developer People Can Fly has announced that its sci-fi co-op shooter will be slightly delayed from its original December 2020 release date and will instead launch on February 2 for current and next-gen systems. In a blog post, community manager Toby Palm explained that the COVID-19 pandemic had affected development on Outriders, but that the core game had been completed.
"COVID-19 has certainly affected our operations over the past months, but the teams have all worked extremely hard to adapt to changing circumstances," Palm explained. "While the core game is now in a largely complete state, our testing operations were unfortunately among the most affected by the work-process-restructuring caused by the novel coronavirus. To that end, we need a bit more time to get it right and ensure that the Outriders experience will be as smooth and issue-free as it possibly can be when we launch."
There is a silver lining to this delay, as players will be able to upgrade the game forto free on their respective next-gen systems. Xbox One users will be able to play Outriders on Xbox Series X and Series S through Smart Delivery, while PS4 owners of the game will also receive a free cross-play update on PS5. If you'd prefer to experience Outriders on the cloud, it'll also be available on Google Stadia, or you can grab it on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.
Yield Keyword in Python – A Simple Illustrated Guide
Introduction To yield In Python
While using a function, we generally use the returnkeyword to return a value computed by the function. Similarly, the yield keyword also returns a value from a function, but it also maintains the state of the local variables inside the function and when the function is reused in the program, the execution of the function begins from the state of the yield statement that was executed in the previous function call.
Example:
def counter(): x = 1 while x <= 5: yield x x += 1 for y in counter(): print(y)
Output:
1
2
3
4
5
To understand the usage of yield keyword, you have to understand what are:
Iterables
Generators
So let us discuss generators and Iterables before diving into the yield keyword.
Iterables
An iterable is an object in Python from which we can get an iterator. For example, when a list is created, all its items can be iterated one by one. Thus, reading the items of the list one by one is known as iteration while the list is iterable. In Python, string, lists, sets, tuples, and dictionaries are iterable containers from which we can get an iterator.
Example:
name = "FINXTER"
li = [1,2,3]
tup = (4,5,6)
s = {"A","B","C"}
d = {"a":100,"b":200,"c":300} print("\nIterating over String:")
for x in name: print(x, end=", ")
print("\nIterating over list:")
for x in li: print(x, end=" ")
print("\nIterating over tuple:")
for x in tup: print(x, end=" ")
print("\nIterating over set:")
for x in s: print(x, end=" ")
print("\nIterating over dictionary:")
for x in d: print(d[x], end=" ")
Output:
Iterating over String:
F, I, N, X, T, E, R, Iterating over list:
1 2 3 Iterating over tuple:
4 5 6 Iterating over set:
A C B Iterating over dictionary:
100 200 300
So we know, what is an iterable object. But what is an iterator?
❖ Iterator
Simply put, an iterator is any object that can be iterated upon. Iterators are implemented using loops.
Iterators implement the following methods which are known as iterator protocols:
__iter__() : returns the iterator object.
__next__(): allows us to perform operations and returns the next item in the sequence.
Let us have a look at the following program how we can iterate through an iterator in Python using the iterator protocol.
Example: Returning an iterator from a list(iterable) and printing each value one by one:
li = [1,2,3,4,5]
it = iter(li) print(next(it))
print(next(it))
print(next(it))
print(next(it))
print(next(it))
Output:
1
2
3
4
5
Now that brings us to the question, what’s the difference between an iterator and iterable?
Here’s a one-liner to answer that:
Every Iterator is an iterable, but every iterable is not an iterator.
For example, a list is an iterable but it is not an iterator. We can create an iterator from an iterable object using the iterable object as shown above.
❖ Creating Iterator Objects
As mentioned earlier, the __iter__() and __next__() methods have to be implemented in an object/class to make it an iterator.
Example: The following program demonstrates the creation of an iterator that returns a sequence of numbers starting from 100 and each iteration will increase the value by 100.
class IterObj: def __iter__(self): self.value = 100 return self def __next__(self): x = self.value self.value += 100 return x obj = IterObj()
it = iter(obj) print(next(it))
print(next(it))
print(next(it))
Output:
100
200
300
The above program will continue to print forever if you keep using the next() statements. There must be a way to stop the iteration to go on forever. This is where the StopIteration statement comes into use.
❖ StopIteration
Once the iteration is done for a specific number of times, we can define a terminating condition that raises an error once the desired number of iterations are over. This terminating condition is given by the StopIteration statement.
Example:
class IterObj: def __iter__(self): self.value = 100 return self def __next__(self): if self.value <= 500: x = self.value self.value += 100 return x else: raise StopIteration obj = IterObj()
it = iter(obj) for a in it: print(a)
Output:
100
200
300
400
500
Generators
While using iterators, we learned that we need to implement __iter__() and __next__() methods along and raise StopIteration to keep track of the number of the iterations. This can be quite lengthy and this is where generators come to our rescue. All the procedures that need to be followed while using iterators are automatically handled by generators.
Generators are simple functions used to create iterators and return an iterable set of items, one value at a time.
You can iterate over generators only once. Let us have a look at this in a program.
Example 1: Using an iterator to iterate over the values twice.
it = [x for x in range(6)]
print("Iterating over generator")
for i in it: print(i, end=", ")
print("\nIterating again!")
for j in it: print(j, end=", ")
Example 2: Using generator to iterate over values. ( The generator can be used only once, as shown in the output.)
gen = (x for x in range(6))
print("Iterating over generator")
for i in gen: print(i, end=", ")
print("\nTrying to Iterate over the generator again!")
for j in gen: print(j, end=", ")
Output:
Iterating over generator
0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Trying to Iterate over the generator again!
Generators do not store all the values in the memory, instead, they generate the values on the fly. In the above example 2, the generator calculates and prints the value 0 and forgets it and then calculates and prints 1 and so on.
Now this brings us to our discussion on the yield keyword.
The yield Keyword
As mentioned earlier, yield is a keyword similar to the return keyword, but in case of yield the function returns a generator.
Example: The following uses a generator function that yields 7 random integers between 1 and 99.
from random import randint def game(): # returns 6 numbers between 1 and 50 for i in range(6): yield randint(1, 50) # returns a 7th number between 51 and 99 yield randint(51,99) for random_no in game(): print("Lucky Number : ", (random_no))
Output:
Lucky Number : 12 Lucky Number : 12 Lucky Number : 47 Lucky Number : 36 Lucky Number : 28 Lucky Number : 25 Lucky Number : 55
In the above program the generator function game() generates 6 random integers between 1 and 50 by executing the yield statement one at a time and finally generates the 7th random number between 51 and 99 by executing the yield outside the loop.
Note: When the function is called, the code within the function body does not run. Instead, the function body simply returns the generator object, and then the code will continue from where it left off each time the for loop uses the generator. Tricky!!! Isn’t it?
Let us discuss the workflow to make things a little simple:
When the for loop is used for the first time, it calls the generator object created from the function. It runs the code in the function from the beginning until it hits yield.
Then it returns the first value in the loop.
Then each subsequent function call runs another iteration of the loop inside the function and returns the next value.
This continues until the generator is empty, that is when the function runs without an yield statement. This happens when the loop is exhausted or the if-else condition is no longer met.
Things To Remember:
Since yield stores the state of local variables, overhead of memory allocation is controlled.
This also ensures that the program control flow doesn’t start from the beginning all over again, thereby saving time.
However, time and memory optimization can make the code complex to grasp.
Comparing Time And Memory Optimization For Iterator Functions Vs Generators
Example 1: The program given below computes the time and memory usage while using a function with an iterator.
import time
import random
import os
import psutil mobile_name = ["iPhone 11", "iPhone XR", "iPhone 11 Pro Max"]
colors = ["red","black","grey"]
def mobile_list(ph): phones = [] for i in range(ph): phone = { 'name': random.choice(mobile_name), 'color': random.choice(colors) } colors.append(phone) return phones # Calculate time of processing
t1 = time.time()
cars = mobile_list(1000000)
t2 = time.time()
print('Took {} seconds'.format(t2-t1)) # Calculate Memory used
process = psutil.Process(os.getpid())
print('Memory used: ' + str(process.memory_info().rss/1000000))
output:
Took 14.238950252532959 seconds
Memory used: 267.157504
Example 2: The following program uses a generator with the yield statement instead of a function and then we calculate the memory and time used in this case.
import time
import random
import os
import psutil mobile_name = ["iPhone 11", "iPhone XR", "iPhone 11 Pro Max"]
colors = ["red","black","grey"]
def mobile_list(ph): for i in range(ph): phone = { 'name': random.choice(mobile_name), 'color': random.choice(colors) } yield phone # Calculate time of processing
t1 = time.time()
for car in mobile_list(1000000): pass
t2 = time.time()
print('Took {} seconds'.format(t2-t1)) # Calculate Memory used
process = psutil.Process(os.getpid())
print('Memory used: ' + str(process.memory_info().rss/1000000))
Output:
Took 7.272227048873901 seconds
Memory used: 15.663104
The above examples clearly depict the superiority of generators and yield keyword over normal functions with return keyword.
Disclaimer: You have to pip install psutil so that the code works in your machine. Further, the time and memory usage values returned will vary based on the specifications of the machine in use.
return Keyword vs yield Keyword
Before we conclude our discussion, let us finish what we started and discuss the difference between the yield and return statements in Python.
Conclusion
In this article we learned:
What are Iterables?
What are Iterators?
The difference between Iterables and Iterators.
Creating Iterator Objects.
The StopIteration statement.
What are Generators in Python?
The Yield Keyword.
Comparing Time And Memory Optimization For Iterator Functions Vs Generators.
The difference between return and yield keywords.
Here’s a small recap of the concepts that we learned in this article; please follow the slide show give below:
To become successful in coding, you need to get out there and solve real problems for real people. That’s how you can become a six-figure earner easily. And that’s how you polish the skills you really need in practice. After all, what’s the use of learning theory that nobody ever needs?
Practice projects is how you sharpen your saw in coding!
Do you want to become a code master by focusing on practical code projects that actually earn you money and solve problems for people?
Then become a Python freelance developer! It’s the best way of approaching the task of improving your Python skills—even if you are a complete beginner.
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You can iterate over generators only once. Let us have a look at this in a program. 
