We’ve all seen some pretty convincing Photoshop efforts in our time, trying to trick us into believing that certain sought-after games are headed to Switch, but this newly-discovered eShop exploit will make fake rumours look even more believable. Or at least, it would have done if you hadn’t read this article.

Twitter user @JarylGaren has discovered a particularly interesting Switch eShop exploit that lets you look at full game listings for certain titles on Wii U and 3DS. As we’ve known for a while now, if you add a game to your wishlist while logged into Nintendo’s official site, you can quickly view its listing on your Switch later on. Weirdly, this works for some games on Nintendo’s older platforms, despite the fact that they can’t be played on Switch.

That allows for screenshots and photos like the one below, where it seems like Super Mario 3D World is available on the Switch eShop. GoNintendo reports that some are already sharing photos like this in an attempt to trick others, with other games like Pikmin 3, and Paper Mario: Color Splash also having fully functioning listings.

You might remember that back in March, it was reported that plenty of older Mario games might be getting remasters on Switch at some point this year. Games like 3D World could well be on the way for all we know, but make sure you don’t fall for any tricks using this exploit in the near future.

Today sees the launch of Urban Flow, a traffic management game that’s releasing exclusively on Nintendo Switch.

We first heard about this one back in April, when it was revealed that the game would have you managing traffic to try and avoid any nasty pile-ups. It features 100 levels to successfully manage, and you’ll be able to play either on your own, or in multiplayer with a drop-in local co-op mode for up to four people.

With Urban Flow we have aimed for moderate and enjoyable difficulty both for core and casual players. You can play games alone, or with your friends, you can finish every stage on 1, 2 or 3 stars.

Urban Flow is a game about the subtle beauty of city streets filled with cars moving in perfect harmony… That means no crashes, no jams. Everything will run perfectly – as long as you stay focused!

Switch lights, keep the city safe. Urban Flow is aimed for fans of action puzzles, good single player content, local multiplayer games and urban music.

Here’s a feature list:

• 100 levels!
• 60 fps gameplay both in handheld and tv mode!
• Endless mode where you can play as long as you can!
• Chill mode where you can relax with music!
• Gallery, achievements and special challenges!
• Single player and multiplayer for 2,3,4 players!
• Crashes, traffic problems, and traffic solutions!

If you’re thinking of buying the game on Switch today, you’ll find it available at 25% off the usual $14.99 asking price for a limited time. If you happen to own any of the games below, expect that discount to be even better at 40-50% off.

Have you been keeping an eye out for this one? We’ll be posting our full review of the game soon, so make sure to check back with us if you want to hear our verdict before diving in.

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The Gamasutra Job Board is the most diverse, active and established board of its kind for the video game industry!

Here is just one of the many, many positions being advertised right now.

Location: New Orleans, Louisiana

Testronic Labs is a world class Quality Assurance and Localization company serving the global games industry.  Since its foundation in 1998, Testronic has established itself as one of the most trusted testing partners in the industry, remaining resolutely committed to quality.  This commitment is the cornerstone of our success, best exemplified by our recent TIGA award for Best QA and Localization Service Provider of 2019.

Our view is that Quality Assurance isn’t about playing games or trying to break games for a living.  It’s about problem-solving.  It’s about striving for perfection.  At Testronic, we view the game experience as an immersive, personally meaningful experience that demands the most steadfast commitment to quality.  Nothing should interrupt that experience!

 Quality matters to us, and stretches to all aspects of our company culture.  With key operations in London, Warsaw, and Los Angeles, Testronic is now expanding to the heart of New Orleans.  Join us!

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Adhere to company security procedures and escalate perceived breaches to supervisor
• Apply and comply with company policies and procedures and advocate them
• Assume ownership of assigned projects and drive them to success
• Drive and track the development of QA Technicians and Associate Project Leads
• Ensure that upcoming projects are set up prior to scheduled QA start
• Identify and assign tasks, ensuring they are completed accurately and thoroughly, and within a specified timeframe
• Identify and prepare Test Design in line with client and project requirements
• Identify and communicate staffing requirements and absences
• Keep track of project budget and pro-actively identify and communicate relevant risks or opportunities
• Line Management of Associate Project Leads
• Perform staff evaluation in the monthly ‘Tester Evaluation’ and annual ‘Appraisal’ processes
• Prepare and deliver Spend Reports for projects within scope of responsibility if/when requested
• Preparation of data and presentation slides for client meetings and reviews
• Proactive identification and communication of any issues that may slow down, stop – or improve –the testing progress as early in the project’s lifecycle as possible.
• Professional and effective communication with your test team, Project Manager and QA Management
• Provide support and assistance to the rest of the QA or Operations departments as and when required
• Validate time monitors for staff on your team in iDocs

TYPICAL DAILY TASKS (NOT EXHAUSTIVE) 

• Lead and guide the team on the assigned clients and/or projects
• Keep track of overall progress, metrics and noteworthy findings on assigned clients and projects
• Professional and effective communication with your test team, Project Manager and QA Management
• Vetting new bugs, and tracking bug database statistics and metrics
• Prepare written reports on a daily basis in agreed report formats
• Prepare and maintain relevant project documentation and Confluence pages
• Validate time monitors for staff on your team in iDocs
• Ensuring that any new starters are being supported fully by yourself or a senior technician
• Create, maintain, and update coverage checklists

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS 

• Proven experience in a Games QA environment as a Project Lead, Project Manager, Senior QA Technician or Associate Project Lead.

TECHNICAL SKILLS 

• Use of standard business software applications (e.g. Microsoft Office)
• Experienced using a variety of different bug databases
• Familiarity with console, mobile, and PC setup and settings
• Familiarity with a variety of online test management systems
• LQA: Familiarity with a variety of online text databases
• Knowledge of and experience with QA submission requirements testing (compliance)
• Ability to provide rationale and justification for requests

PERSONAL SKILLS 

• Excellent communications skills (verbal and written)
• Ability to lead and motivate others
• Ability to multitask effectively while under pressure and to deadlines
• An ability to identify opportunities to upsell additional services, or find out about additional projects
• A basic understanding of revenue, margins, and financial considerations

ATTITUDE & VALUES 

• Hard working & honest
• Punctual time-keeping
• Flexible attitude
• Prepared to work on shifts
• Willing to occasionally work long and unsociable hours
• Able to maintain a positive attitude and boost team morale
• Considerate of the broader picture, and the company as a whole

Interested? Apply now.

Whether you’re just starting out, looking for something new, or just seeing what’s out there, the Gamasutra Job Board is the place where game developers move ahead in their careers.

Gamasutra’s Job Board is the most diverse, most active, and most established board of its kind in the video game industry, serving companies of all sizes, from indie to triple-A.

Looking for a new job? Get started here. Are you a recruiter looking for talent? Post jobs here.

We’ve already been promised some very welcome summer updates for Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but this weekend brings even more fun in the form of the very first Bug-Off.

If you live in the summery Northern Hemisphere – and currently baking alive if you’re in the UK like us – then the next few months are about to get a little more interesting. On every fourth Saturday over the next four months (including tomorrow, 27th June) you’ll be able to take part in this cool competition hosted by none other than Flick.

If you haven’t heard of the Bug-Off before, it works in a very similar fashion to C.J.’s Fishing Tourneys, with players having to catch as many bugs as they can in a time limit. We have all the details you could ever possibly need in our Bug-Off guide.

Between this and the upcoming summer updates, life on the island is about to take a welcome turn for the better. Will you be diving in to all of this new content? Tell us below.

Short answer: The most Pythonic way to compute the difference between two lists l1 and l2 is the list comprehension statement [x for x in l1 if x not in set(l2)]. This works even if you have duplicate list entries, it maintains the original list ordering, and it’s efficient due to the constant runtime complexity of the set membership operation.

What’s the best way to compute the difference between two lists in Python?

a = [5, 4, 3, 2, 1]

b = [4, 5, 6, 7] # a - b == [3, 2, 1]

# b - a == [6, 7]

In Python, you always have multiple ways to solve the same (or a similar) problem. Let’s have an overview in the following interactive code shell:

Exercise: Run the code and think about your preferred way!

Let’s dive into each of the methods to find the most Pythonic one for your particular scenario.

Method 1: Set Difference

The naive approach to solve this problem is to convert both lists into sets and use the set minus (or set difference) operation.

# Method 1: Set Difference

print(set(a) - set(b))

# {1, 2, 3}

print(set(b) - set(a))

# {6, 7}

This approach is elegant because it’s readable, efficient, and concise.

However, there are some unique properties to this method which you should be aware of:

• The result is a set and not a list. You can convert it back to a list by using the list(...) constructor.
• All duplicated list entries are removed in the process because sets cannot have duplicated elements.
• The order of the original list is lost because sets do not maintain the ordering of the elements.

If all three properties are acceptable to you, this is by far the most efficient approach as evaluated later in this article!

However, how can you maintain the order of the original list elements while also allow duplicates? Let’s dive into the list comprehension alternative!

Method 2: List Comprehension

List comprehension is a compact way of creating lists. The simple formula is [expression + context].

• Expression: What to do with each list element?
• Context: What elements to select? The context consists of an arbitrary number of for and if statements.

You can use list comprehension to go over all elements in the first list but ignore them if they are in the second list:

# Method 2: List Comprehension

print([x for x in a if x not in set(b)])

# [3, 2, 1]

We used a small but effective optimization of converting the second list b to a set first. The reason is that checking membership x in b is much faster for sets than for lists. However, semantically, both variants are identical.

Here are the distinctive properties of this approach:

• The result of the list comprehension statement is a list.
• The order of the original list is maintained.
• Duplicate elements are maintained.

If you rely on these more powerful guarantees, use the list comprehension approach because it’s the most Pythonic one.

Method 3: Simple For Loop

Surprisingly, some online tutorials recommend using a nested for loop (e.g., those guys):

# Method 3: Nested For Loop

d = []

for x in a: if x not in b: d.append(x)

print(d)

# [3, 2, 1]

In my opinion, this approach would only be used by absolute beginners or coders who come from other programming languages such as C++ or Java and don’t know essential Python features like list comprehension. You can optimize this method by converting the list b to a set first to accelerate the check if x not in b by a significant margin.

Performance Evaluation

Want to know the most performant one? In the following, I tested three different approaches:

import timeit init = 'l1 = list(range(100)); l2 = list(range(50))' # 1. Set Conversion

print(timeit.timeit('list(set(l1) - set(l2))', init, number = 10000)) # 2. List Comprehension

print(timeit.timeit('[x for x in l1 if x not in l2]', init, number = 10000)) # 3. List Comprehension + set

print(timeit.timeit('s = set(l2);[x for x in l1 if x not in s]', init, number = 10000)) '''

0.1620231000000001

0.5186101000000001

0.057180300000000184 '''

You can run the code in our interactive Python shell:

Exercise: Run the code. Which is fastest and why?

Although the first approach seems to be fastest, you now know that it has some disadvantages, too. (Loses duplicate info, loses ordering info.) From the two list comprehension approaches, the second one kills the first one in terms of runtime complexity and performance!

Where to Go From Here?

Enough theory, let’s get some practice!

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.

Join my free webinar “How to Build Your High-Income Skill Python” and watch how I grew my coding business online and how you can, too—from the comfort of your own home.

Join the free webinar now!