#We also won't talk about her 30 minute stint with the short mohawk it was a different time and it ain't like that no more lol

[tarmac-rat]

Then and Now

I saw a few people in the fandom doing this and I was a bit hesitant to put this together because I started screenshotting comparably late through my timeline-- I didn't have the confidence to attempt it until 1.5, and in some cases I still am a bit resistant to sharing-- but I thought "meh, I haven't talked about Riley and I still have all my old files, let's go back in time". So here's a bit more of an in-depth look into my V's evolution from launch until now:

Click images for better quality.

Version 1-- V1.0 - 1.2

This is probably the most radically different version of Riley I've made. I used different scarring, different facial cyberware, and different eye makeup, though I believe her body, eye, freckle, and earring presets have always been the same. Her chin is squarer and her face is a bit more angled, but back in the day I really enjoyed what I had come up with even if I never took her out for photographing.

The blue hair was darker than I really wanted it to be, but back in 1.0 it was pretty much the only option for light blue so I stuck with it lol. I ended up using the bob solely because I didn't really like 95% of the hairstyles and this was one of the only ones I could tolerate, but I honestly grew to dislike it for her after a while. I hated that it covered up her ears and I never found it really photographed that well because it hung in her eyes.

I actually still really like this facial build-- it doesn't suit Riley but I like how mean it looks, like a built in RBF-- and honestly I would probably try to reuse it for a different OC if I ever made one.

Version 2-- V1.2 - 1.4

This was the new version I built for another run-through on 1.2 and serves as the bridge between the original Riley and the current Riley. I switched the scars and the facial cyberware out to what I would eventually end up sticking with, but I still stubbornly stuck with the bob and somehow I made her face....softer? That wasn't my intention but her whole face has lost the bite it originally had-- I always refer to this version as my "Valley Girl" preset because idk I just always imagine that drawl coming out of this face.

Looking back on it I hate her lip preset on this face. IDK why they look so pink bc I don't have lip makeup on (I literally checked when taking the photos) but UGH they're just not a good fit for her they make her look too...is it mean of me to say "too happy"?

Yeah this one in hindsight is my least favorite it just doesn't look good on her based on what was I going for. Feel like I missed the mark big time.

I don't know why I added that neck tattoo lol it was spur of the moment.

Version 3-- V1.5 - 1.6

Current Riley! Remade during 1.5 when 1) I wanted to finally make a V I could screenshot and 2) we got the new cosmetics and finally got light electric-blue hair I always envisioned her having.

Finally buckled down and spent more than 15 minutes in the character creator. oven so I could properly sculpt her face. Got rid of the softness, gave her a bit more angles and a bigger nose, lightened her freckles a bit, gave her thicker eyebrows. AND I DITCHED THE BOB. BYE BOB GET OUTTA HERE.

Also finally got the chance to show off her ears-- bronze was another new preset added into 1.5 so that's what I chose, but I believe before that update all her piercings had been silver.

The one thing I wished I had done was give her a bit of a broader nose, but overall I'm pretty happy with this design and I've used it for over a year now.

I've always claimed that my V is about 55-60% accurate to how I imagined her because there's just so much I can't add in vanilla basegame, but this is probably as close as we can get with what I've been given haha.

Bonus: Below are first ever photos I took when I finally mustered the confidence to use my XBone screenshotter around the 1.5 drop. Vanilla definitely has it's limits, but I can at least say I've improved from my starting point-- definitely enough to know what decent lighting is:

#Cyberpunk 2077 #CP2077 #V #My V #Riley Aldana #Long Post #God that second build ages like sour milk the more I look at it #It REALLY does not suit her Idk what I was on back in June 2021 but whatever it is please keep it away from me again #We also won't talk about her 30 minute stint with the short mohawk it was a different time and it ain't like that no more lol #Aldi speaks