Natasha’s Tear in the Rain.

Welcome one and beWildernaut all, especially the Agents of Heels fans still amongst us. This here is a special post, both an arty little aside for us to enjoy some fun and sights to see, but also a hat tip to the game that starting everything we have here today which never got to see it’s own finish. I was going to use these as handover images, only that can’t be for nudity reasons, so instead I’m making a bit more of a post of this. Let’s do it, then!

It’s been great to see the changes that have been possible in the last few months, and even more I’m rather proud of myself and the community at large for backing me up as I’ve put together 2 whole new releases in less than 3 months by myself. Things are looking up and we’re going in the right direction again. Great stuff! I will admit though, the biggest causality of the changes is that AoH had to take a bullet so close to its timely end, and that sticks in my throat more than a little. I’m glad that I’ve been able to make art decent enough to release in game form, so of course at times I wonder if I should just pick up AoH and try run it in for the finish, like it would be a QB sneak kind of play… only it’s not at all that simple, and as much as I would like to see AoH have a proper finish, all sense says I should simply stick with NTR and not let the house of cards I’m trying to build back up securely buckle under that kind of weight. The pragmatic thing to do is to simply let it lie and do all I can for what I can: Noemi and maybe 1 day beyond. It’s cruel to keep any hope beyond that alive, but I want to give AoH some kind of closure, as bittersweet as it is. And today is that moment of closure, I feel.

I’ve borrowed a little help from what is considered by some to be the best monologue in cinema history, certainly 1 of the best on the topic of reaching an ending whether you want to or not… “Tears in the Rain”, from Blader Runner, performed by Rutger Hauer.

I feel a lot like Nat when it comes to closing out her game. I for one, though admitted I may be overly ambitious for “porn game” making, have always wanted the beWilderverse to be a collection of sexy experiences that transcend single games. I’ve always hated finality in endings, and wanted players who play 1 of our games to be able to take that time and emotional investment into our works and benefit from it in ways new players just don’t yet. For example, in some future game a the player might find themselves in Club Kaikaku again, or Heels’ Plaza, or any of the locations in NTR/Philly, and they’d feel a sense of excitement beyond just the scene they are in, knowing the possibilities that might or could be… That gets a lot harder when there’s no solid ending to hang our hats, but it doesn’t mean we can’t have it someday. I guess I just have to dream a little smaller until I’ve built enough, earned enough for more of that, huh? As for those moments of Nat’s story… Many will vanish, just like tears, but the beWilderverse she largely inspired will continue on.

Now, so that this post is all downer and the like, why don’t we talk a little bit about the art of the day, eh? I’m still new to considering myself part of anything relating to “art department” work, and before now I’ve had other things work on than to try my hand at imitating art styles, but trying my hand at gritty Sci-Fi and mise-en-scene was a bit of fun while I got in some more Daz practice. I’ll tell you, it’s not easy. I did my best to capture the darkness, the rain, the bright neon red and white sign in the back fill while keeping a sharpness/blurred depth of field all at once. How do you think I did in comparison? Perhaps I kept too much detail on Nat’s face, but a) can you blame me? She’s pretty, And b) If Blade Runner were filmed today rather than in ’82, I think they’d have a bit more detail on Roy’s face, no?  

Just for the interest, here’s a shot of what the scene looked like out of Daz, without efforts to post-produce it towards the film reel feel.

And another version, closer to the dark noir of the film, maybe a little too much.

What do you think? Which version came out better? The one I used above, the one I started with, or the darker Noir one? Vote in the poll at the foot of the post!

Another thing I found it hard to imitate was the expressions. Those have been tricky to get right in all the CGs in game so far, I’ll admit. It’s a place I’m trying to keep an eye on and actively improve as I go, more than most other parts of the art. I think in the close ups make her look a little silly, but then when you look at them side to side with the reference stills from the film reel… They seem closer than alone, don’t you think?

In any case, it was enjoyable getting to work with Nat’s model for once, and I’m sure it won’t be the last, since there’s no harm in using AoH assets for some throwback concepts along the way, right? She didn’t get any less hot, after all. Hell, we might just see some of those iconic assets put to use soon! So stay tuned for the official handover next week! Until then…

Be stoic through the storm, and beWilder!


Which post-production style did you prefer the most?