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: Plano, TX, or Remote

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

Robot Entertainment, the independent developer of the Orcs Must Die! franchise, is looking for a Senior VFX Artist to join our team.  This individual will be responsible for creating VFX across a variety of game platforms.  This is an excellent opportunity for someone with game industry experience looking for new challenges, including mentoring junior staff, and developing leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Creates, designs, and implements in-game visual effects;
• Model, paint, and animate as needed to create high quality VFX assets;
• Work with the Art Director and Leads to develop VFX languages that are consistent with project art styles;
• Collaborate with other departments such as Design, Engineering, Tech, and Animation, to make sure artwork fits the specs and gameplay needs.
• Assist with Tech Art and Engineering in planning and implementing our VFX pipeline;
• Work with production to follow and build schedules and to deliver assets on time;
• Serve as a mentor for less experienced artists;

The Ideal Candidate… 

• Is proficient in VFX development using Unreal 4 and its particle systems and materials.
• Has strong VFX and traditional art skills (timing, shape language, color theory and illustration, painting, composition, 2D & 3D design);
• Is proficient in Photoshop (or other 2D software) and Maya (or 3D modeling package);
• Has a minimum of five (5) years’ experience working as a VFX artist for games;
• Has familiarity with video game development including, but not limited to workflow, tools, lighting, modeling, VFX material setup, in-game animation, and engine parameters/optimizations;
• Has contributed to multiple shipping video game titles;
• Likes to participate in the research and development of a product’s visual style;
• Is capable of identifying, investigating and resolving a range of artistic development issues often encountered during the game creation process;
• Great oral and written communication skill;
• Self-managing with capability to work individually in a remote location;
• Plays and enjoys a variety of games.

Educational Requirements

BS/BA/MS degree in Art, or equivalent work experience.

This is a full-time, professional exempt, remote or on-site position, with benefits.  Open to United States citizens or those individuals who are legally residing and working in the USA. Robot will not facilitate or sponsor candidates for US work visas or US residency “Green Cards” for this position.

Robot Entertainment, Inc. is committed to providing equal opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment. The company shall ensure that decisions affecting employees are made without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected category. This policy is administered in accordance with federal laws (including but not limited to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, Age Discrimination in the Employment Act of 1967, as amended, Equal Pay Act of 1963, as amended, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended) and all other applicable state or local law prohibiting discriminatory acts.

Robot Entertainment, Inc. is a privately owned developer of entertainment technology and intellectual property, based in Plano, Texas, USA. More information about Robot can be found at http://www.robotentertainment.com.

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.

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Today sees the launch of Jump Force Deluxe Edition on Switch, and Nintendo has released a shiny new launch trailer to celebrate.

You can check it out for yourself above; it’s fast-paced, energetic, and contains all the shouty, colourful, explosive action you’d expect. In case you’re only just finding out about this now, here’s the official description from the game’s eShop page:

The most famous Manga heroes are thrown into a whole new battleground: our world. Uniting to fight the most dangerous threat, the Jump Force will bear the fate of the entire humankind.

Create your own avatar and jump into an original Story Mode to fight alongside the most powerful Manga heroes from DRAGON BALL Z, ONE PIECE, NARUTO, BLEACH, HUNTER X HUNTER, YU-GI-OH!, YU YU HAKUSHO, SAINT SEIYA and many others.

There’s also a day-one patch available for the game. If you’re picking up a copy today, make sure your game’s updated to the latest version before jumping in. Here are the patch notes:

---

Jump Force Deluxe Edition ver.1.02

【General Notes】

• Added missions in the mission counter.
• Added new outfit rewards for the upcoming in-game event.
• Improved game stability.
• Adjusted to display the correct error message or error code when player fails to connect online.
• Adjusted to display the correct error code when player fails to connect online through the online battle counter.

---

Jump Force Deluxe Edition was one of several games featured in the recent Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase. Are you planning on trying this one out today? Let us know in the comments.

Rocket League‘s great and all, but you know what would make it even more great? Goofy alpacas.

Thankfully, the aptly named Alpaca Ball: Allstars has appeared on the scene to provide us with exactly that. The game, from Salt Castle Studio and Badland Publishing, will be launching on Switch across Europe and North America this October. It’s pretty barmy and, as you might imagine, includes a wonderful range of soccer-playing alpacas.

It’s actually inspired by games like NBA Jam, with craziness seemingly at the core of every second of gameplay. Alongside its competitive modes, in which up to eight players can participate simultaneously, the game features a career mode for one or two players. Here, you’ll need to travel halfway around the world to compete in all sorts of alpaca ball games.

The game launches on Switch and Steam on 15th October, and will also arrive on other consoles at a later date. If you’re after something lighthearted in these gloomy times, perhaps this will do the trick?

Apple has terminated Epic Games’ developer account, effectively removing access to the company’s suite of games including Fortnite.

The Pokémon Company International has lifted the lid on the next Pokémon Trading Card Game expansion today. Introducing Pokémon Sword & Shield – Vivid Voltage.

This new set of cards is planned to launch worldwide on 13th November and introduces Mythical Pokémon Zarude to the Pokémon TCG for the first time. It also includes six new Pokémon VMAX, including Pikachu VMAX, Orbeetle VMAX, and Coalossal VMAX.

That’s not all, as a new type of card called ‘Amazing Pokémon’ will also be introduced. These cards feature Legendary or Mythical Pokémon illustrated in vibrant colours and are made with foil and etched details. Here’s a quick rundown of what to expect:

Discover new brilliance and maximum power in the Pokémon TCG: Sword & Shield—Vivid Voltage expansion. Even more Pokémon V are lining up to battle, including the newly discovered Mythical Pokémon Zarude! Unique new Amazing Pokémon burst onto the scene with a rainbow splash, alongside more Pokémon VMAX…including the splendour, the majesty, the delightful round wonder that is Gigantamax Pikachu! Put a little colour and a lot of spark into your deck or collection with the Sword & Shield—Vivid Voltage expansion!

– Over 185 cards
– 6 Amazing Pokémon
– Dozens of recently discovered Pokémon from the Galar region
– 11 powerful Pokémon V and 6 enormous Pokémon VMAX
– More than 15 Trainer cards and 4 new Special Energy cards

More than 185!? Collecting ’em all isn’t easy, is it?

As well as enjoying the physical cards found in stores, you’ll also be able to play with the complete expansion on Pokémon TCG Online when the expansion launches in November.

Do you collect Pokémon cards? Do you buy them just for a collection, or do you like to compete, too? Let us know in the comments.

Do you want to one-linerize the append() method in Python? I feel you—writing short and concise one-liners can be an addiction!

This article will teach you all the ways to append one or more elements to a list in a single line of Python code!

Python List Append

Let’s quickly recap the append method that allows you add an arbitrary element to a given list.

How can you add an elements to a given list? Use the append() method in Python.

Definition and Usage

The list.append(x) method—as the name suggests—appends element x to the end of the list.

Here’s a short example:

>>> l = []

>>> l.append(42)

>>> l

[42]

>>> l.append(21)

>>> l

[42, 21]

In the first line of the example, you create the list l. You then append the integer element 42 to the end of the list. The result is the list with one element [42]. Finally, you append the integer element 21 to the end of that list which results in the list with two elements [42, 21].

Syntax

You can call this method on each list object in Python. Here’s the syntax:

list.append(element)

Arguments

Argument	Description
element	The object you want to append to the list.

Related articles:

• The Ultimate Guide to Python Lists
• List.append() method — A Simple Illustrated Guide

Python One Line List Append

Problem: How can you create a list and append an element to a list using only one line of Python code?

You may find this challenging because you must accomplish two things in one line: (1) creating the list and (2) appending an element to it.

Solution: We use the standard technique to one-linerize each “flat” multi-line code snippet: with the semicolon as a separator between the expressions.

a = [1, 2, 3]; a.append(42); print(a)

This way, we accomplish three things in a single line of Python code:

• Creating the list [1, 2, 3] and assigning it to the variable a.
• Appending the element 42 to the list referred to by a.
• Printing the list to the shell.

Related Article: Python One Line to Multiple Lines

Python One Line For Append

Problem: How can we append multiple elements to a list in a for loop but using only a single line of Python code?

Example: Say, you want to filter a list of words against another list and store the resulting words in a new list using the append() method in a for loop.

# FINXTER TUTORIAL:

# How to filter a list of words? words = ['hi', 'hello', 'Python', 'a', 'the']

stop_words = {'a', 'the'}

filtered_words = [] for word in words: if word not in stop_words: filtered_words.append(word) print(filtered_words)

# ['hi', 'hello', 'Python']

You first create a list of words to be filtered and stored in an initially empty list filtered_words. Second, you create a set of stop words against you want to check the words in the list. Note that it’s far more efficient to use the set data structure for this because checking membership in sets is much faster than checking membership in lists. See this tutorial for a full guide on Python sets.

You now iterate over all elements in the list words and add them to the filtered_words list if they are not in the set stop_words.

Solution: You can one-linerize this filtering process using the following code:

filtered_words = [word for word in words if word not in stop_words]

The solution uses list comprehension to, essentially, create a single-line for loop.

Here’s the complete code that solves the problem using the one-liner filtering method:

# FINXTER TUTORIAL:

# How to filter a list of words? words = ['hi', 'hello', 'Python', 'a', 'the']

stop_words = {'a', 'the'}

filtered_words = [word for word in words if word not in stop_words] print(filtered_words)

# ['hi', 'hello', 'Python']

Here’s a short tutorial on filtering in case you need more explanations:

Related Article: How to Filter a List in Python?

Python One Line If Append

In the previous example, you’ve already seen how to use the if statement in the list comprehension statement to append more elements to a list if they full-fill a given condition.

How can you filter a list in Python using an arbitrary condition? The most Pythonic and most performant way is to use list comprehension [x for x in list if condition] to filter all elements from a list.

Try It Yourself:

The most Pythonic way of filtering a list—in my opinion—is the list comprehension statement [x for x in list if condition]. You can replace condition with any function of x you would like to use as a filtering condition.

For example, if you want to filter all elements that are smaller than, say, 10, you’d use the list comprehension statement [x for x in list if x<10] to create a new list with all list elements that are smaller than 10.

Here are three examples of filtering a list:

• Get elements smaller than eight: [x for x in lst if x<8].
• Get even elements: [x for x in lst if x%2==0].
• Get odd elements: [x for x in lst if x%2].

lst = [8, 2, 6, 4, 3, 1] # Filter all elements <8

small = [x for x in lst if x<8]

print(small) # Filter all even elements

even = [x for x in lst if x%2==0]

print(even) # Filter all odd elements

odd = [x for x in lst if x%2]

print(odd)

The output is:

# Elements <8

[2, 6, 4, 3, 1] # Even Elements

[8, 2, 6, 4] # Odd Elements

[3, 1]

This is the most efficient way of filtering a list and it’s also the most Pythonic one. If you look for alternatives though, keep reading because I’ll explain to you each and every nuance of filtering lists in Python in this comprehensive guide.

Python Append One Line to File

Problem: Given a string and a filename. How to write the string into the file with filename using only a single line of Python code?

Example: You have filename 'hello.txt' and you want to write string 'hello world!' into the file.

hi = 'hello world!'

file = 'hello.txt' # Write hi in file '''

# File: 'hello.txt':

hello world! '''

How to achieve this? In this tutorial, you’ll learn four ways of doing it in a single line of code!

Here’s a quick overview in our interactive Python shell:

Exercise: Run the code and check the file 'hello.txt'. How many 'hello worlds!' are there in the file? Change the code so that only one 'hello world!' is in the file!

The most straightforward way is to use the with statement in a single line (without line break).

hi = 'hello world!'

file = 'hello.txt' # Method 1: 'with' statement

with open(file, 'a') as f: f.write(hi) '''

# File: 'hello.txt':

hello world! '''

You use the following steps:

• The with environment makes sure that there are no side-effects such as open files.
• The open(file, 'a') statement opens the file with filename file and appends the text you write to the contents of the file. You can also use open(file, 'w') to overwrite the existing file content.
• The new file returned by the open() statement is named f.
• In the with body, you use the statement f.write(string) to write string into the file f. In our example, the string is 'hello world!'.

Of course, a prettier way to write this in two lines would be to use proper indentation:

with open(file, 'a') as f: f.write(hi)

This is the most well-known way to write a string into a file. The big advantage is that you don’t have to close the file—the with environment does it for you! That’s why many coders consider this to be the most Pythonic way.

You can find more ways on my detailed blog article.

Related Article: Python One-Liner: Write String to File

Python One-Liners Book

Python programmers will improve their computer science skills with these useful one-liners.

Python One-Liners will teach you how to read and write “one-liners”: concise statements of useful functionality packed into a single line of code. You’ll learn how to systematically unpack and understand any line of Python code, and write eloquent, powerfully compressed Python like an expert.

The book’s five chapters cover tips and tricks, regular expressions, machine learning, core data science topics, and useful algorithms. Detailed explanations of one-liners introduce key computer science concepts and boost your coding and analytical skills. You’ll learn about advanced Python features such as list comprehension, slicing, lambda functions, regular expressions, map and reduce functions, and slice assignments. You’ll also learn how to:

•  Leverage data structures to solve real-world problems, like using Boolean indexing to find cities with above-average pollution
•  Use NumPy basics such as array, shape, axis, type, broadcasting, advanced indexing, slicing, sorting, searching, aggregating, and statistics
•  Calculate basic statistics of multidimensional data arrays and the K-Means algorithms for unsupervised learning
•  Create more advanced regular expressions using grouping and named groups, negative lookaheads, escaped characters, whitespaces, character sets (and negative characters sets), and greedy/nongreedy operators
•  Understand a wide range of computer science topics, including anagrams, palindromes, supersets, permutations, factorials, prime numbers, Fibonacci numbers, obfuscation, searching, and algorithmic sorting

By the end of the book, you’ll know how to write Python at its most refined, and create concise, beautiful pieces of “Python art” in merely a single line.

Get your Python One-Liners Now!!

Netmarble has released the official website for Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds ahead of the Japanese launch later this year. The MMORPG is confirmed for both iOS and Android devices but is yet to be confirmed for an international release.

Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds will include five starting classes for you to choose from, including the witch, swordsman, rogue, engineer, and destroyer. The MMORPG also includes PvP and PvE game modes, both of which involve real-time hack and slash combat. The story of Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds involves meeting a mysterious girl called Rania and learning about her secret mission. To complete her mission, you must battle lots of powerful enemies and rebuild a kingdom.

The new Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds website provides us with a detailed glimpse into the mobile MMORPG releasing later this year. The beautiful cel-shaded graphics, detailed information about the starting characters, and the bios of the adorable familiars you meet along the way are more than enough to get your fingers shaking with excitement.

Fancy taking a look at the beautiful cel-shaded world of Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds? Then click on the trailer embedded below.

If you would like to visit the newly released website and read up about the characters and lore, you can do so from the official Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds website.

Need an MMORPG to play right now? Then check out our guide of the best mobile MMORPGs.