CD Projekt Red’s new game Cyberpunk 2077 might not be out until November, but it’s already established a fanbase.

Blender artist, Tomek Dittrich, is such a big fan, he’s gone to the extent of creating a “Nightcity Cyber Boy”. The full 3D model of this concept even includes a Cyber Boy version of Cyberpunk 2077. In the brief clip below, you can see the mysterious Johnny Silverhand on-screen.

The additional cartridges on display appear to be The Witcher games – perhaps one of them is a demake of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition? Speaking of The Witcher, if you want to play a CD Projekt Red game on your Nintendo system, for now, you’ll just stick with Geralt’s third outing or Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales on the Switch.

While this is just a concept, believe it or not, but CD Projekt has already released some other Cyberpunk themed devices including a Limited Edition Xbox One X console, controller, and external harddrive. Would you like to see the Cyber Boy brought to life? Do you miss the Game Boy era? Leave a comment down below.

© Nintendo

According to Famitsu’s latest sales chart, Nintendo’s new release – Paper Mario: The Origami King – sold 109,092 copies in its first week in Japan. It debuted in second place – with the PlayStation 4 exclusive Ghost of Tsushima taking out the top spot.

How does this particular entry compare to previous Paper Mario launch weeks, though? According to Game Data Library, it puts it in fifth place overall in terms of opening week physical sales. The best launch goes to Super Paper Mario on the Wii (2007), second place goes to Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004), in third is Paper Mario: Sticker Star (2012), and fourth place is the original Nintendo 64 outing (2000).

Underneath the Origami King is the 2016 Wii U title Paper Mario: Color Splash. Here’s sales breakdown from GDL:

Of course, this data doesn’t include Paper Mario: The Origami King’s digital sales on the Switch eShop. If this was taken into account, it may have outperformed the past entries in its opening week – and keep in mind, digital game sales on Nintendo’s platforms are now stronger than ever.

Did you buy Paper Mario: The Origami King in its opening week? Tell us down below.

When reading over other people’s Python code, many beginners are puzzled by the __init__(self) method. What’s its purpose? This article answers this question once and for all.

What’s the purpose of __init__(self) in Python?

The reserved Python method __init__() is called the constructor of a class. You can call the constructor method to create an object (=instance) from a class and initialize its attributes.

While this answers the question, if you’ve got any ambition in becoming a professional Python coder, it’s not enough to know that the __init__ method is the constructor of a class. You also need to know how to use the constructor in your own projects—and how to customize its arguments. A thorough understanding of the constructor serves as a strong foundation for more advanced concepts in object-oriented Python programming. Read on to learn the other half of the equation.

Interactive Example: Before I’ll explain it to you, let’s open your knowledge gap. Consider the following example:

Exercise: Add one argument color to the __init__ method and make the code run without error!

Let’s dive into this simple example in great detail.

How to Use the __init__ Method in Practice? A Simple Example

We’ll use some terms of object-oriented programming in Python to explain our example. Make sure to study the following cheat sheet (you can also download the PDF here). Click the image to get the cheat sheet (opens in a new tab). If you’re already comfortable with basic object-orientation terminologies like classes and instances, simply read on.

You’ve learned that the __init__ method is the constructor method of a class. You call the constructor method to create new instances (or objects). But how exactly does this play out in practice? Before we dive into the correct use, we need to understand the arguments (or parameters) of the constructor method.

The Self Argument

The __init__ constructor requires at least one argument. According to the PEP8 standard, it’s good practice to denote this argument as self. In any case, the self argument points to the newly-created instance itself and it allows you to manipulate the instance attributes of the new instance. In the dog example, you’d use self.color = "blue" to set the newly-created dog’s color attribute to the string "blue".

Let’s have a look at the following basic code example:

class Dog: def __init__(self): self.color = "blue" bello = Dog()

print(bello.color)

# blue

1. We create a new class Dog with the constructor __init__(self).
2. We create a new instance of the class Dog named bello. There are two interesting observations: First, we use the class name rather than the constructor name to create the new instance. Python internally calls the __init__ method for us. Second, we don’t pass any argument when calling Dog(). Again, Python implicitly passes a reference to the newly created instance (bello) to the constructor __init__.
3. We print the color attribute of the newly-created bello instance. The result is the string value "blue" as defined in the constructor.

However, this minimal example is unrealistic. Some dogs are brown, others are black, and only some are blue.

Multiple Constructor Arguments

So how can we create different dogs with different colors? We can easily achieve this by using more arguments, in addition to self, when defining our constructor __init__. Here’s another example where we create two dogs with different colors. Can you spot their colors?

class Dog: def __init__(self, color): self.color = color bello = Dog("blue")

print(bello.color)

# blue alice = Dog("brown")

print(alice.color)

# brown

In contrast to the first example, we now define the constructor __init__(self, color) with two arguments rather than one.

The first is the self argument as before. The second is a custom argument color that is passed through by the caller of the constructor. In our case, we create two Dog instances, bello and alice, by specifying the color argument for both.

Note that the self argument is handled implicitly by the Python programming environment: Python simply passes a reference to the respective Dog instance to the __init__ constructor.

What’s the Difference between the Constructor and the Initializer?

Well, I haven’t used a very accurate terminology in the previous paragraphs. I used the term “constructor” for both the call Dog() and the call __init__(). But only the former call can be denoted as constructor method because only this call actually creates a new instance. At the time, we call the method __init__, the instance has already been created (Python passes it to us via the self argument). That’s why a more precise term for the __init__ method is initializer method. That’s how I’ll denote it in the following to make up for it.

What’s the Meaning of the Underscores in the __init__ Method Name?

I’ve written a whole article about the meaning of the underscore in Python. Check it out if this topic interests you further. The key takeaway, however, is the following:

The double underscore “__” (called “dunder“) is used to make an instance attribute or method private (cannot be accessed from outside the class) — when used as leading dunder. When used as enclosing dunder (e.g. “__init__”) it indicates that it is a special method in Python (called “magic method”).

How to Use __init__ in an Inherited Class?

An inherited class is a class that inherits all attributes and methods from a parent class. Here’s an example:

class Dog: def __init__(self, color): self.color = color class CuteDog(Dog): def __init__(self, color): Dog.__init__(self, color) self.hairs = True bello = CuteDog('brown')

print(bello.hairs)

# True print(bello.color)

# brown

Inheritance is very important in Python. In the example, the parent class is the class Dog you already know from above. The initializer method __init__ defines the color of this dog.

Now, we also create a new class CuteDog that inherits all attributes from the parent class Dog. You can define inheritance by specifying the name of the parent class within the brackets after the child class: CuteDog(Dog).

The interesting thing is that the __init__ method of the child class CuteDog calls the __init__ method of the parent class. This makes sense because the child class has the same attributes as the parent class—and they need to be initialized, too.

The more Pythonic way, however, is to use the super() function that makes it easier for you to access the parent class:

class Dog: def __init__(self, color): self.color = color class CuteDog(Dog): def __init__(self, color): super().__init__(color) self.hairs = True bello = CuteDog('brown')

print(bello.hairs)

# True print(bello.color)

# brown

With the help of the super() function, you can easily reuse the initializer method of the parent class.

Let’s have a look at a few related questions.

Is __ init __ Necessary in Python?

No. You can simply skip the initializer method. As a result, your class won’t have any instance attributes directly after its creation. However, you can add instance attributes dynamically at any future point in time. Here’s an example:

class Dog: None bello = Dog()

bello.color = "blue"

print(bello.color)

# blue

How beautiful! You can even create empty classes and “fill in” the methods and attributes later in Python.

What Does __ init __ Return?

The __init__ method itself returns nothing. Technically, Python first uses the constructor method Dog() before it uses __init__ to initialize all attributes. Hence, only the constructor returns the newly-created instance.

Can __init__ Return a Value?

No. The only return value that doesn’t cause a runtime error is None. All other return values cause an error. See the following code example:

class Dog: def __init__(self, color): self.color = color return 0 bello = Dog("blue")

# TypeError: __init__() should return None, not 'int'

So never use any return value in the __init__ method and you’re good to go.

Where to Go from Here?

Thanks for reading through the whole article. You’ve learned that the __init__ name is reserved for the Python initializer method that is called within the constructor.

The article requires a thorough understanding of the Python basics. Investing time to learn and study those is vital for your success as a professional coder.

To help people grow their skills in an automated, personalized way, I’ve created a free Python email course “Coffee Break Python” that grows your skill level in a seemingless way. Day after day after day…

Join tens of thousands of Python coders (100% free)!

Students and would-be game devs, take note: when you log on to attend GDC Summer next month, there will be an entire channel of learning opportunities tailored specifically for your needs!

This is a unique strength of the virtual platform we’ll be hosting GDC Summer on August 4th through 6th, and anyone looking to advance their game dev career or quickly learn new skills is invited to check out some of the cool content you’ll find in the GDC Summer Student Channel.

Anyone with a GDC Summer Student Pass or higher will have access to the Student Channel’s talks and interactive sessions, all of which address common concerns of junior and aspiring game makers. It’s all part of the GDC Summer Student Program, a full Thursday (August 6th) of lectures, interactive sessions, and group discussions designed for aspiring devs and seasoned professionals seeking new opportunities and career advice!

Phoenix Labs’ Garrett Fredley will be there to deliver a talk on “Increasing the Interview Odds Through Skill Set Diversification“, for example, and it promises to be a practical talk aimed at helping students, grads, and experienced devs diversify skills and demonstrate enough prowess to clinch that next job interview.

Don’t miss it, because you can expect to walk away with practical advice for avoiding skill set pitfalls, converting secondary skills into highlight strengths, and maximizing the chances of that next interview!

Plus, “Ask Me Anything: Whiteboard Interviewing Q&A with Ellen Beeman & Cal Reinhard” is a great opportunity for junior and would-be game devs to ask questions about the dreaded white board tests that are part of many game industry interviews. Together, Ellen Beeman from DigiPen and Cal Reinhard from Popcap Games will talk through the principles of what interviewers are looking for in these sessions and how to answer them, including the “Ask, Talk, Test” approach that Ellen has used to successfully mentor over a hundred DigiPen students!

Or check out “Pixel Art and Animation in the Hi-Bit Age“, in which experienced game artist Tyriq Plummer (Catacomb Kids) will go over some techniques and best practices for approaching pixel art and animation for contemporary games.

He’ll also explore some of the tools that are available to artists, and discuss some of the more innovative ways pixel art can be incorporated into games with a modern bent. If you’re at all interested in learning pixel art or 2D game art, check it out!

More details on these sessions and many more are available now in the GDC Summer session schedule, so take a look and register to attend if you haven’t already!

For more details on GDC Summer, scheduled to take place virtually August 4th through the 6th, visit the show’s official website, or subscribe to regular updates via Facebook, Twitter, or RSS.

Gamasutra and GDC are sibling organizations under parent company Informa Tech

Unity acquired Bolt from Ludiq back in May of 2020 although no further announcements were made.  Today however that all changed when Unity announced that the Bolt visual scripting solution for the Unity game engine will now be free for all tiers of Unity, including the free or personal tiers.  Bolt is available immediately as a free download on the Unity Asset Store.

Details from the Unity blog:

Bolt visual scripting is now included in all Unity plans, at no additional cost.

We believe the world is a better place with more creators in it, and we know that visual scripting is a critical part of bringing ideas to life quickly in Unity.

Bolt is now available for download by all Unity users through the Unity Asset Store. Users who purchased Bolt after Unity made the acquisition announcement on May 4, 2020 will receive a refund in the amount of their purchase. We’ll be sending an email to those users within the next two weeks.

The next version of Bolt, Bolt 2, which will bring improvements in capability, scalability, performance, and ease of use is in development. When it arrives, Bolt 2 will also be included in all Unity plans at no additional cost. More information to come later this year.

We are committed to providing a great visual scripting experience for users for all types of projects, regardless of the architecture. Bolt is an acceleration of this mission towards providing that experience. We’re also working to refine our various node-based tools to improve the general user experience progressively, over time, across the Editor.

Again you can learn more about Bolt and download it here.  Learn more about the Bolt release in the video below.

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GameDev News Unity

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The release of Crysis Remastered on Switch has left many a gamer who remembers trying to get that massively taxing game running well on a PC back in the late 2000s scratching their heads in disbelief. We’re still putting the game through its paces for review but, by most accounts, the handheld Switch version holds up rather well.

Of course, Crysis isn’t the first FPS CryEngine game to come to Switch; free-to-download online shooter Warface landed on Nintendo’s console earlier this year and impressed us with its enjoyably old school action. To find out a little more about the technical challenges of getting a CryEngine first-person shooter on Switch’s mobile chipset, we caught up with Ivan Pabiarzhyn, Franchise Producer at Warface to discuss how the talented team managed it.

When the team first sat down to look at the Switch hardware from a technical standpoint, what were your initial impressions and thoughts regarding its suitability for running CryEngine?

At first, we considered it an impossible task but then decided to give it a try.

As we understand it, Warface was built in CryEngine 3. Does your 2020 version of the engine bear much resemblance to the CryEngine 3 that launched over a decade ago? What are the biggest alterations or refinements that have been made over the years?

The original CryEngine as used in the original PC version of Warface didn’t support 64-bit or DirectX 11. So we had our work cut out for us in switching to x64 and DX11 on PC. When porting the game to the Nintendo Switch we wrote our own emulation of DX11 and tried to make it as fast as possible.

One of the things that we managed to keep intact on Switch is CryEngine’s dynamic lighting system.

Obviously, to get the engine running on Switch’s mobile chipset involves sacrifices. Can you explain some of the ways you tailored the engine to perform well on Switch?

One of the biggest unknowns for us was how well the CryEngine would work on the Switch hardware. In particular, one of the challenges was finding a balance between image quality and frame rate which was good enough for comfortable gameplay on the Nintendo Switch. We had to make sure it maintained a stable 30FPS in all gameplay modes. We did this by having a fixed resolution for Warface in both docked and portable modes. That wasn’t easy, but the team was able to skillfully achieve this with only minimal reduction to image quality.

Post-CryEngine 2 (following cries of ‘but will it run Crysis?’ which went on for years), scalability seemed to gain importance in future versions of the engine. Despite the hardware’s limitations, were there any technical features you were able to implement on Switch that surprised you?

One of the things that we managed to keep intact on Switch is CryEngine’s dynamic lighting system. You can see light bouncing realistically through open windows and onto players and their weapons in the Pripyat Special Operation, for example. Some of the new and upgraded graphical assets from the recent Mars and Titan Special Operations have also made the transition to Switch.

A more powerful GPU… would’ve allowed for better graphical fidelity and saved the team a lot of time in optimization

If you could upgrade a single component in the Switch to aid and smooth the development process, which part would you beef up? What would the effect be for a game like Warface?

A more powerful GPU. It would’ve allowed for better graphical fidelity and saved the team a lot of time in optimization.

Working with one engine for so many years must have its pros, as well as some cons. As a developer, at what point do you decide to make a clean break and switch to a different, newer version? If you were ever to make a sequel or a different game, would you stick with the engine you’re using now?

The longer you work with a tool, the better you become at using it. We always try and use the latest possible technology, but it’s the question of striking a balance between new features and maintaining the game’s stability. When working on a new game, we always consider every tool at our disposal that would be best for this particular project. Our team’s experience plays a major role when making those choices.

Given your experience bringing an established game to Switch from other platforms, are there any Switch ports from other studios that stand out as particularly notable from your point of view? What about them impressed you?

Warface is the Switch’s first free-to-play military shooter, so there wasn’t much in the way of precursors. But we did like the ease of access Fortnite provides for its players, so it was important for us to keep Warface free-to-play online without requiring a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.

We also knew that in terms of in-game content and modes we have both PvE missions and 11 completely different PvP modes including a “battle royale” mode. So, possibly, we have more interesting content to offer on these terms that anybody else on the market. As such, we didn’t really look at other games and just made the decisions we considered best for both our existing community and new players.

Warface on Switch gained 1 million players after its first month-or-so of release. Has the Switch version performed in line with your expectations?

Yes, but we weren’t — and aren’t — planning on stopping there. Our mission is constantly developing the project while coordinating our efforts with the platform’s requirements and building on the community’s feedback.

You added a 32-player Battle Royale mode back in April this year, too. What are your plans for the game going forward?

As our game is huge in content, at the moment not all the in-game content (special weapon series, themed kits) is available on Switch yet. We want to bring the Switch version up to the level of the PS4 and Xbox One version there were released earlier and launch full-blown crossplay between Switch and other systems.

Our thanks to the team for their time. Warface is out now (and free to download and play) on Switch eShop – check out our review of the game following its February launch. Crysis Remastered is also available – keep an eye out for our verdict soon.