Pass the pre-build NPC review gate

- Add a review harness that stages all eight library characters at portrait, conversation and crowd distance on both maps in day and night.
- Fix the final-context lanyard badge and firefighter helmet fit with runtime attach offsets; the asset-space gear contract is unchanged.
- Record the gate sign-off, refresh the gallery, and move the completed review to DONE.

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -52,6 +52,9 @@ Semantic Versioning.
   and frames the entrance and sign instead of a nearby target.
 - Multiline HUD and wand strings now render real line breaks instead of a literal
   `\n`; the wand panel also lists the guest's carried items.
+- Final-context NPC gear fit: authorized-guest lanyards now show their badge in
+  front of the jacket, and responder helmets sit above the eyes instead of across
+  the brow.
 
 ## [0.9.1] — 2026-11-02
 

DONE.md

@@ -1624,3 +1624,39 @@ Completed: the venue menu now has Day and Night Hollywood rows; the night row ru
 **Exit:** both promoted maps are audited, optimized and visually aligned with their reference sets, with day/night Hollywood variants exposed in the venue menu.
 
 Completed 2026-11-02: both promoted maps are audited and aligned; the Hollywood Day/Night rows and the Joke Shop block share the phase system. Map 1 is 58,884 triangles / 409 meshes; Map 2 is 22,680 / 454. The map tests, screen captures and docs are green.
+
+## Pre-build NPC revisit — completed 2026-11-02
+
+Goal: after the map work, review the NPC characters again in the final lighting, camera and
+venue composition before producing any build or tag. This is a gate, not a second full model
+redesign.
+
+### Final-context visual review
+
+- [x] Capture all eight variants on the promoted Hollywood/Joke Shop maps at portrait, conversation
+      and crowd distance in day and night lighting.
+- [x] Re-check silhouette, face readability, hair, hands, gear fit and coat/dress hems against the
+      final backgrounds; compare with the current portrait/gallery baseline.
+- [x] Re-run the gear `fit` report and inspect any map/lighting-driven regressions (hood, helmet,
+      sunglasses, bag, tank, hand items).
+
+### Targeted fixes and validation
+
+- [x] Fix only the P0/P1 NPC visual issues found in the final-context review; avoid broad model
+      reshapes without a new acceptance comparison.
+- [x] Re-run character imports, pose/target/crowd tests, the 24-NPC budget smoke and portrait
+      captures.
+- [x] Run the screen-design/realism judge on the final-context captures and record accepted
+      review verdicts.
+
+### Build gate
+
+- [x] Do not run the release build, bump a release version or tag until the map exit criteria and
+      this NPC revisit are both signed off.
+- [x] Record the sign-off in `docs/development-status.md` and `MEMORY.md`, then hand off to the
+      postponed integration/build milestone.
+
+**Exit:** the final maps and lighting still present the NPCs clearly; no untriaged NPC regression
+blocks a build.
+
+Completed 2026-11-02: 96 final-context captures (8 models × 3 distances × Hollywood/Joke Shop × day/night) found no P0 issues. The lanyard badge and firefighter helmet were corrected with runtime attach offsets; backpack straps, caps, low-poly hands/faces and the optional close-range flashlight wash were accepted or deferred. The 24-NPC budget is 6.93 ms, the gallery is 13 good / 0 bad, the screen-design judge is 13/13, and a clean portrait measured a 0.732 vision gap against the photoreal concept. No build, version bump or tag was created.

MEMORY.md

@@ -47,7 +47,24 @@ Session memory for durable decisions, state, and gotchas. Keep concise, remove o
 - **Radio submit fix (v0.8.1):** `RadioPanel.action_button` now connects `pressed` for normal reports; `button_down/up` remains exclusive to emergency hold-to-confirm. Regression test covers both modes.
 - **Campaign/v0.8.0:** `Campaign` owns Hollywood → Joke Shop → TV Studio progression. `campaign.json`, `shift_results.json`, `settings.json` and versioned `shift_state.json` persist separately; pause saves a checkpoint, review Continue advances, Settings resets with confirmation. Difficulty keys are `easy/normal/hard` (`ai_difficulty`); scripted QA bypasses tutorial unless `--tutorial` is passed. Help is searchable and generated from `InputBindings.REMAPPABLE`.
 - **Tutorial (0.8.0 work):** `docs/tutorial.md` is the eight-beat design; `src/game/tutorial.gd` is the pure state machine, `TutorialOverlay` is the non-blocking card, and `GameManager` wires it with a safe visitor, suppressed spawns, persisted completion/skip and Settings replay. Scripted test/capture runs bypass it unless `--tutorial` is passed; `smoke_tutorial.gd` covers completion/replay/skip.
-- **Priority change (2026-11-02):** the map optimization previously planned for 0.9.5 is complete and moved to `DONE.md` (both Hollywood and Joke Shop maps, 2026-11-02). 0.9.2 UI, 0.9.3 NPC detail, 0.9.4 textures and the 0.9.6 integration/0.10.0 release work remain postponed. The **pre-build NPC revisit** is the next gate: final map/lighting portraits, gear fit, P0/P1 fixes, judge verdicts and sign-off before any build/tag.
+- **Pre-build NPC revisit (2026-11-02):** the final-context harness is
+  `src/test/capture_npc_review.gd` (8 library models, 3 distances, 2 venues,
+  day/night). It found two P1 gear-fit issues: the lanyard badge was hidden
+  under the jacket and the firefighter helmet brim sat over the eyes. Both are
+  fixed at runtime with `NpcAvatar.GEAR_OFFSETS` (`lanyard` forward 4 cm,
+  `firefighter_helmet` up 3 cm); the authored GLBs and the fit report remain
+  asset-space measurements. The guard model is staged through the review-only
+  `character_override` because it has no spawned NPC role. **Signed off
+  2026-11-02:** 96 final-context captures, no P0; lanyard/helmet P1 fixes; the
+  backpack straps, caps, low-poly hands/faces and optional close-range
+  flashlight wash were accepted or deferred. The 24-NPC budget is 6.93 ms, the
+  gallery is 13 good / 0 bad, the screen-design judge is 13/13 and a clean
+  portrait measured a 0.732 vision gap against the photoreal concept. No
+  release build, version bump or tag was created at this gate.
+- **Priority change (2026-11-02):** the map optimization (0.9.5) and the pre-build
+  NPC revisit are complete and in `DONE.md`. The postponed 0.9.2 UI, 0.9.3 NPC
+  detail, 0.9.4 textures and 0.9.6 integration/0.10.0 release work are next. No
+  build or tag has been produced.
 - **Hollywood landmark map (2026-11-02):** the default venue is the real El Capitan
   Entertainment Centre block at 6840 Hollywood Blvd, not a generic brick entrance. Its
   reference/mapping notes live in `docs/hollywood-boulevard-map.md`; the map-budget test

TODO.md

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ see `AGENTS.md` for the workflow and `MEMORY.md` for the decisions behind these
 
 Baseline: **v0.9.1** (2026-11-02). Three playable venues, tutorial/campaign/checkpoint resume,
 difficulty/help, audio/accessibility settings, a 24-NPC budget baseline, a complete
-escalation/access/radio loop, shift review, the Blender asset library, 255 headless + 97 Python
+escalation/access/radio loop, shift review, the Blender asset library, 256 headless + 97 Python
 tests, a clean screen-design judge and an optional Forward+ Desktop HQ build. This is a strong
 release-candidate foundation, not yet a 1.0 product.
 
@@ -44,44 +44,10 @@ release-candidate foundation, not yet a 1.0 product.
 | Documentation | Architecture/ADR/status/roadmap ownership established | Final README/changelog/status/TODO/smoke-checklist sign-off and known-limitations page | Docs drift at launch | 0.9.5 / 0.10.0 |
 | Post-launch | Stable 0.9 feature set | Live replay, more venues, VO/music, image-to-mesh props and seasonal content | Scope creep before launch | Post-1.0 |
 
-**Current priority:** map optimization is complete (moved to `DONE.md` on 2026-11-02);
-the active gate is the **pre-build NPC revisit**, then the postponed
-UI/NPC-detail/texture patches and integration/release-candidate work. No build or
-tag until the NPC gate is signed off.
-
-## Pre-build NPC revisit
-
-Goal: after the map work, review the NPC characters again in the final lighting, camera and
-venue composition before producing any build or tag. This is a gate, not a second full model
-redesign.
-
-### Final-context visual review
-
-- [ ] Capture all eight variants on the promoted Hollywood/Joke Shop maps at portrait, conversation
-      and crowd distance in day and night lighting.
-- [ ] Re-check silhouette, face readability, hair, hands, gear fit and coat/dress hems against the
-      final backgrounds; compare with the current portrait/gallery baseline.
-- [ ] Re-run the gear `fit` report and inspect any map/lighting-driven regressions (hood, helmet,
-      sunglasses, bag, tank, hand items).
-
-### Targeted fixes and validation
-
-- [ ] Fix only the P0/P1 NPC visual issues found in the final-context review; avoid broad model
-      reshapes without a new acceptance comparison.
-- [ ] Re-run character imports, pose/target/crowd tests, the 24-NPC budget smoke and portrait
-      captures.
-- [ ] Run the screen-design/realism judge on the final-context captures and record accepted
-      review verdicts.
-
-### Build gate
-
-- [ ] Do not run the release build, bump a release version or tag until the map exit criteria and
-      this NPC revisit are both signed off.
-- [ ] Record the sign-off in `docs/development-status.md` and `MEMORY.md`, then hand off to the
-      postponed integration/build milestone.
-
-**Exit:** the final maps and lighting still present the NPCs clearly; no untriaged NPC regression
-blocks a build.
+**Current priority:** map optimization and the **pre-build NPC revisit** are
+complete (both moved to `DONE.md` on 2026-11-02). The postponed 0.9.2/0.9.3/0.9.4
+UI, NPC-detail and texture patches, then 0.9.6 integration and the 0.10.0 release
+candidate, are next. No release build, version bump or tag has been produced.
 
 ## Postponed — Patch 0.9.2 — Dialog, button and UI polish
 

docs/asset-tooling.md

@@ -196,6 +196,23 @@ and ranks them by advertised token/image price. The run falls through the list
 on provider/model errors and aborts on an invalid key. Use
 `GIG_LINE_JUDGE_MODEL` or `--model <id>` for a pinned comparison.
 
+`capture_npc_review.gd` is the pre-build NPC gate: it stages all eight
+library character models at portrait, conversation and crowd distance on both
+promoted maps in day and night lighting, with the normal crowd hidden. It uses
+the review-only `NpcAvatar.character_override` to include the guard model, which
+has no spawned NPC role:
+
+```bash
+godot --path . --script res://src/test/capture_npc_review.gd -- \
+  --out=res://tmp/npc-review
+```
+
+Contact sheets can be assembled from the files (the output is local QA and is
+not committed). The runtime applies small attach-space offsets to the lanyard
+and firefighter helmet so the badge clears the jacket and the brim does not sit
+over the eyes; these are `NpcAvatar.GEAR_OFFSETS`, not changes to the gear
+contract.
+
 `capture_realism.gd` runs seven stages (day, portrait, evening, late, Joke Shop day, Joke Shop night, studio);
 `--stages=day,late` limits it while tuning; `--flashlight` turns on the guard lamp for
 night stages (used by the Desktop HQ A/B). The `portrait` shot freezes one NPC on open sidewalk

docs/blender-assets.md

@@ -141,6 +141,10 @@ attach point:
 
 The character previews in `sheet_npc.jpg` are built by importing the gear at
 exactly these points, which gives a quick visual check of the convention.
+`NpcAvatar.GEAR_OFFSETS` applies two final-context nudges after attachment:
+the lanyard moves 4 cm forward so its badge clears the jacket, and the
+firefighter helmet moves 3 cm up so its brim sits above the eyes. The
+`fit` report remains an asset-space measurement of the untouched GLBs.
 
 ## Props
 

docs/development-status.md

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ Implemented so far:
 - Godot 4.7.2 project scaffold, input map, procedural world builder (CI/local/release unified)
 - Venue-driven simulation core: `ShiftCoordinator`, `VenueScenario`, `EventScheduler`, `NPCController` + FSM, `AccessVerifier`, `EscalationManager`, `RadioSystem`, `IncidentRecorder`, `ReputationEvaluator`, `CrowdSystem`
 - Three authored scenarios (El Capitan Entertainment Centre / Hollywood Boulevard, The Joke Shop, Late Night TV Studio) with access policies, NPC archetypes, and event pools
-- Headless unit tests: **255 passing** (access rules and venue-correct access loadout, escalation, radio cooldown/battery, NPC reaction determinism, door lock, flashlight perception, persistence round-trip, settings round-trip, input remaps, navmesh, step colliders, skyline alpha, scenario data, full-shift simulation, wand screening, responder dispatch, localization strings, focus cone, action wheel, session shell, PLAN verbs and incident recording, crowd presentation, emergency aftermath, body-camera timeline, NPC theater poses, audio, accessibility, authored scenario content, string formatting, `.tres` venue round-trip, surface materials and environment, focus ranking and outfit/gait helpers, generated prop models, web export preset, prop atlas material, player movement, NPC character layers/LOD/queue, input bindings)
+- Headless unit tests: **256 passing** (access rules and venue-correct access loadout, escalation, radio cooldown/battery, NPC reaction determinism, door lock, flashlight perception, persistence round-trip, settings round-trip, input remaps, navmesh, step colliders, skyline alpha, scenario data, full-shift simulation, wand screening, responder dispatch, localization strings, focus cone, action wheel, session shell, PLAN verbs and incident recording, crowd presentation, emergency aftermath, body-camera timeline, NPC theater poses, audio, accessibility, authored scenario content, string formatting, `.tres` venue round-trip, surface materials and environment, focus ranking and outfit/gait helpers, generated prop models, web export preset, prop atlas material, player movement, NPC character layers/LOD/queue, input bindings)
 - Simulation extras: protester archetype, CALL_SOMEONE reaction, door lock/secure mechanic (visual indicator), flashlight with night perception bonus, LATE shift phase reaching the violent-threat event
 - First-person prototype with interaction HUD, access inspection, wand screening, radio report form (incl. emergency hold-to-confirm), dispatched responder avatars, aim-free targeting, venue cycling between all three scenarios, color-coded escalation feedback, procedural audio cues, navigation-mesh NPC paths, JSON-backed localized strings, persisted shift history, debug overlay, and shift review
 - Control pass: focus cone on NPC heads with a billboarded blue circle in front of the face and name, action wheel (LMB/Space) with de-escalation-first slices, mouse-look freeze while a panel is open, acceleration-based walking, and named input actions (`action_menu`, `confirm`, `cancel`, `inspect`, `wand`)
@@ -51,5 +51,6 @@ Implemented so far:
 - Joke Shop / Sunset Strip map (map optimization): the second venue is now a stylized reconstruction of The Comedy Store block at 8433 Sunset Blvd, with a 27 m black hall, signature-covered sloping canopy, circular **THE JOKE SHOP** blade sign, red velvet curtain bays, a west-end entrance, cream and white low-rise neighbours, a dry hillside with stucco houses and palms behind the roofline, and a low retail/billboard frontage across Sunset. The same geometry serves day and late lighting through the phase system. Real-site references and limits are in [`joke-shop-map.md`](joke-shop-map.md); the map measures **22,680 triangles across 454 meshes** in the budget test.
 - Venue geometry (v0.7.0, Joke Shop frontage superseded by the map-optimization pass): the TV Studio builds a stone facade, bulb canopy, glossy black car and barrier line. `WorldBuilder.VENUE_SPECS` drives facade/street/nav dimensions, and `GameManager` rebuilds only the world container when the venue changes.
 - Gear fit (post-v0.6.0): Blender gear is measured against the avatar head/skirt silhouette and the checks run in both the Python tooling and the headless suite. Sunglasses, the shoulder bag and the firefighter helmet were fitted to the new faces; the Influencer portrait and gallery were recaptured with a before/after report.
+- Pre-build NPC review (2026-11-02): all eight library characters were staged at portrait, conversation and crowd distance on Hollywood and the Joke Shop, in day and night lighting, with the normal crowd hidden (`src/test/capture_npc_review.gd`). No P0 issues were found. Two P1 gear-fit issues were fixed with runtime attach offsets: the authorized-guest lanyard badge now clears the jacket and the firefighter helmet sits above the eyes. Backpack straps, caps, hands and the intentionally low-poly faces were accepted for the stylized target; close-range flashlight wash remains an optional-lighting follow-up. The 24-NPC budget stayed at 6.93 ms, the gallery passed 13 good / 0 bad and the screen-design judge stayed 13/13, and a clean portrait scored a 0.732 vision gap against the photoreal concept.
 
-Current gaps for v1.0.0: deeper authored content/dialogue, animation and audio production, localization/accessibility expansion, 24-NPC/platform profiling, external playtesting, signed/notarized release packaging, and a unified Godot baseline. The full gap analysis and milestone plan live in [`TODO.md`](../TODO.md); the current architecture and documentation ownership map are in [`docs/architecture.md`](architecture.md).
+Current gaps for v1.0.0: deeper authored content/dialogue, animation and audio production, localization/accessibility expansion, 24-NPC/platform profiling, external playtesting, and signed/notarized release packaging. The full gap analysis and milestone plan live in [`TODO.md`](../TODO.md); the current architecture and documentation ownership map are in [`docs/architecture.md`](architecture.md).

src/game/npc_avatar.gd

@@ -133,6 +133,10 @@ var _height_scale := 1.0
 var loaded_model := false
 var fallback_avatar := true
 var character_model := ""
+## QA/review override for the visual model. Empty keeps role/seed selection;
+## `capture_npc_review.gd` uses it to stage the one library model (guard) that
+## has no spawned NPC role.
+var character_override := ""
 ## Tests can force the offline rig; the game always tries the committed model.
 var use_skinned_model := true
 var _skeleton: Skeleton3D = null
@@ -167,6 +171,13 @@ const ACCESSORIES := {
 
 const BLENDER_NPC_DIR := "res://assets/models/blender/npc/"
 const BLENDER_GEAR_DIR := "res://assets/models/blender/npc_gear/"
+## Final-context adjustments applied inside the attach node. The lanyard was
+## authored under the jacket's front surface; a small forward offset keeps the
+## ribbon and badge readable without changing the attach-point contract.
+const GEAR_OFFSETS := {
+	"lanyard": Vector3(0, 0, 0.04),
+	"firefighter_helmet": Vector3(0, 0.03, 0),
+}
 const GEAR_ATTACH := {
 	"cap": "head", "beanie": "head", "hood": "head", "sunglasses": "head",
 	"firefighter_helmet": "head",
@@ -335,7 +346,8 @@ static func reaction_label(mode: String, escalation: int) -> String:
 ## Instantiate the Blender-authored skinned base mesh. Returns false when the
 ## GLB is missing/not imported, so setup falls back to the procedural rig.
 func _build_skinned_body(npc_type: int) -> bool:
-	character_model = character_model_for(npc_type, _visual_seed)
+	character_model = character_override if character_override != "" \
+		else character_model_for(npc_type, _visual_seed)
 	var path := BLENDER_NPC_DIR + character_model + ".glb"
 	if not ResourceLoader.exists(path):
 		character_model = "npc_base"
@@ -731,6 +743,8 @@ func _attach_gear(gear_name: String) -> bool:
 		_:
 			node.free()
 			return false
+	if GEAR_OFFSETS.has(gear_name):
+		node.position += GEAR_OFFSETS[gear_name]
 	_detail_nodes.append(node)
 	var ao := Materials.load_ao(BLENDER_GEAR_DIR + gear_name + "_ao.png")
 	for child in node.find_children("*", "MeshInstance3D", true, false):

src/test/capture_npc_review.gd

@@ -0,0 +1,213 @@
+extends SceneTree
+## Final-context NPC review harness (pre-build gate).
+##
+## Stages all eight authored character models at portrait, conversation and
+## crowd distance on both promoted maps, in day and night lighting. The normal
+## crowd is hidden so each frame isolates the character and the venue behind it.
+## Output is local QA art (put it under `tmp/` or `docs/screens/realism/`).
+##
+## Usage:
+##   godot --path . --script res://src/test/capture_npc_review.gd -- \
+##     --out=res://tmp/npc-review-1
+##
+## The guard character has no spawned NPC role; it uses the review-only
+## `character_override` on NpcAvatar.
+
+const Rules := preload("res://src/core/rules.gd")
+const NpcAvatar := preload("res://src/game/npc_avatar.gd")
+const NpcProfile := preload("res://src/core/npc_profile.gd")
+
+const VARIANTS := [
+	{"name": "npc_casual", "type": Rules.NpcType.TOURIST, "seed": 4242, "character": "npc_casual"},
+	{"name": "npc_jacket", "type": Rules.NpcType.AUTHORIZED_GUEST, "seed": 4242, "character": "npc_jacket"},
+	{"name": "npc_coat", "type": Rules.NpcType.INFLUENCER, "seed": 4242, "character": "npc_coat"},
+	{"name": "npc_vest", "type": Rules.NpcType.DELIVERY, "seed": 4242, "character": "npc_vest"},
+	{"name": "npc_dress", "type": Rules.NpcType.PERFORMER, "seed": 4242, "character": "npc_dress"},
+	{"name": "npc_hoodie", "type": Rules.NpcType.VIOLENT_THREAT, "seed": 4242, "character": "npc_hoodie"},
+	{"name": "npc_firefighter", "type": Rules.NpcType.RESPONDER, "seed": 4242, "character": "npc_firefighter"},
+	{"name": "npc_guard", "type": Rules.NpcType.CONFUSED_VISITOR, "seed": 4242, "character": "npc_guard"},
+]
+const VENUES := [
+	{"name": "hollywood_day", "venue": "hollywood_building", "elapsed": 0.0},
+	{"name": "hollywood_night", "venue": "hollywood_building", "elapsed": 760.0},
+	{"name": "joke_shop_day", "venue": "joke_shop", "elapsed": 0.0},
+	{"name": "joke_shop_night", "venue": "joke_shop", "elapsed": 700.0},
+]
+const CONTEXTS := [
+	{"name": "portrait", "distance": 2.0, "pitch": 0.0},
+	{"name": "conversation", "distance": 2.8, "pitch": 1.0},
+	{"name": "crowd", "distance": 7.5, "pitch": 1.0},
+]
+const SETTLE_FRAMES := 18
+const MAX_FRAMES := 30000
+
+var gm: Node = null
+var frames := 0
+var out_dir := "user://screenshots/npc_review"
+var _phase := "boot"
+var _wait := 0
+var _venue_i := 0
+var _variant_i := 0
+var _context_i := 0
+var _subject: NpcAvatar = null
+var _subject_pos := Vector3.ZERO
+## Captured at the start of a venue, before the review camera moves the guard.
+var _venue_spawn := Vector3.ZERO
+
+func _initialize() -> void:
+	root.size = Vector2i(1280, 720)
+	for arg in OS.get_cmdline_user_args():
+		var text := str(arg)
+		if text.begins_with("--out="):
+			out_dir = text.substr(6)
+	var packed: PackedScene = load("res://scenes/main.tscn")
+	root.add_child(packed.instantiate())
+
+func _process(_delta: float) -> bool:
+	frames += 1
+	if frames > MAX_FRAMES:
+		push_error("capture_npc_review timed out")
+		quit(1)
+		return true
+	if gm == null:
+		gm = root.find_child("GameManager", true, false)
+		return false
+	match _phase:
+		"boot":
+			var menu = gm.get("start_menu")
+			if menu != null and menu.visible:
+				gm.call("_on_venue_selected", "hollywood_building")
+			_wait = 50
+			_phase = "boot_wait"
+		"boot_wait":
+			_wait -= 1
+			if _wait <= 0:
+				_begin_venue()
+		"settle":
+			_hide_crowd()
+			_wait -= 1
+			if _wait <= 0:
+				_shoot()
+				_context_i += 1
+				if _context_i >= CONTEXTS.size():
+					_context_i = 0
+					_variant_i += 1
+					if _variant_i >= VARIANTS.size():
+						_variant_i = 0
+						_venue_i += 1
+						if _venue_i >= VENUES.size():
+							_phase = "done"
+							print("capture_npc_review done -> %s" % out_dir)
+							quit(0)
+							return true
+						_begin_venue()
+					else:
+						_stage_variant()
+				else:
+					_frame_subject()
+					_wait = SETTLE_FRAMES
+		"done":
+			print("capture_npc_review done -> %s" % out_dir)
+			quit(0)
+			return true
+	return false
+
+func _begin_venue() -> void:
+	var venue: Dictionary = VENUES[_venue_i]
+	gm.call("switch_scenario", str(venue["venue"]))
+	var coordinator = gm.get("coordinator")
+	coordinator.elapsed_s = float(venue["elapsed"])
+	coordinator.current_phase = coordinator._phase_for_time(coordinator.elapsed_s)
+	gm.set("_last_phase", -1)
+	gm.call("_apply_phase_lighting")
+	coordinator.scheduler.spawn_rate_multiplier = 0.0
+	var hud = gm.get("hud")
+	if hud != null:
+		hud.visible = false
+		hud.clear_log()
+		hud.set_target_label("")
+		hud.set_action_hint("")
+	var guard = gm.get("guard")
+	_venue_spawn = Vector3(0.0, 0.1, 8.0) \
+		if str(venue["venue"]) == "hollywood_building" else Vector3(-2.0, 0.1, 4.5)
+	guard.set_physics_process(false)
+	var night := str(venue["name"]).ends_with("night")
+	if bool(gm.get("flashlight_on")) != night:
+		gm.call("_toggle_flashlight")
+	_variant_i = 0
+	_context_i = 0
+	_wait = 15
+	_phase = "settle"
+	_stage_variant()
+	print("capture_npc_review: venue %s at %d ms" % [venue["name"], Time.get_ticks_msec()])
+
+func _stage_variant() -> void:
+	if _subject != null and is_instance_valid(_subject):
+		_subject.queue_free()
+	_subject = null
+	var variant: Dictionary = VARIANTS[_variant_i]
+	var pos := _venue_spawn + Vector3(0.0, 0.0, -2.0)
+	_subject_pos = pos
+	var profile := NpcProfile.new()
+	profile.id = "review_" + str(variant["name"])
+	profile.display_name = str(variant["name"]).to_upper()
+	profile.npc_type = int(variant["type"])
+	var avatar := NpcAvatar.new()
+	avatar.name = "ReviewSubject"
+	avatar.character_override = str(variant["character"])
+	avatar.setup(profile, "roam", int(variant["seed"]), pos,
+		pos + Vector3(0, 0, 2), Vector3(0, 0.5, 1.2), str(profile.id))
+	gm.scene_root.add_child(avatar)
+	avatar.global_position = pos
+	avatar.rotation.y = 0.0
+	avatar.set_physics_process(false)
+	avatar.set_process(false)
+	for node in avatar.find_children("*", "Label3D", true, false):
+		(node as Label3D).visible = false
+	for node in avatar.find_children("FocusCircle", "MeshInstance3D", true, false):
+		(node as MeshInstance3D).visible = false
+	_subject = avatar
+	_frame_subject()
+	_wait = SETTLE_FRAMES
+	_phase = "settle"
+
+func _frame_subject() -> void:
+	if _subject == null or not is_instance_valid(_subject):
+		return
+	var context: Dictionary = CONTEXTS[_context_i]
+	var distance := float(context["distance"])
+	var guard = gm.get("guard")
+	guard.global_position = _subject_pos + Vector3(0, 0.1, distance)
+	guard.rotation.y = 0.0
+	guard.head.rotation.x = deg_to_rad(float(context["pitch"]))
+	_hide_crowd()
+
+func _hide_crowd() -> void:
+	for node in get_nodes_in_group("npc"):
+		var npc := node as Node3D
+		if npc == null or npc == _subject:
+			continue
+		npc.visible = false
+		npc.set_physics_process(false)
+		npc.global_position = Vector3(0, -100, 0)
+	if gm != null:
+		var hud = gm.get("hud")
+		if hud != null:
+			hud.clear_log()
+			hud.set_target_label("")
+
+func _shoot() -> void:
+	var venue: Dictionary = VENUES[_venue_i]
+	var variant: Dictionary = VARIANTS[_variant_i]
+	var context: Dictionary = CONTEXTS[_context_i]
+	var dir := ProjectSettings.globalize_path(out_dir)
+	DirAccess.make_dir_recursive_absolute(dir)
+	var base := "%s__%s__%s" % [variant["name"], venue["name"], context["name"]]
+	var path := dir.path_join(base + ".png")
+	var index := 2
+	while FileAccess.file_exists(path):
+		path = dir.path_join("%s-v%d.png" % [base, index])
+		index += 1
+	var img: Image = root.get_texture().get_image()
+	var err := img.save_png(path)
+	print("%s -> err=%d" % [base, err])

src/test/tests/test_npc_character.gd

@@ -6,12 +6,13 @@ const NpcAvatar := preload("res://src/game/npc_avatar.gd")
 const NpcProfile := preload("res://src/core/npc_profile.gd")
 const Rules := preload("res://src/core/rules.gd")
 
-func _avatar(npc_type: int, seed_value: int) -> NpcAvatar:
+func _avatar(npc_type: int, seed_value: int, character: String = "") -> NpcAvatar:
 	var profile := NpcProfile.new()
 	profile.id = "char_test"
 	profile.npc_type = npc_type
 	profile.display_name = "Test Person"
 	var avatar := NpcAvatar.new()
+	avatar.character_override = character
 	avatar.setup(profile, "enter", seed_value,
 		Vector3(0, 0.5, 6), Vector3(0, 0.5, 1.5), Vector3(0, 0.5, 1.2), "char_test")
 	return avatar
@@ -167,7 +168,23 @@ func test_character_selection_is_deterministic_and_complete() -> bool:
 	return TestUtils.check(problems.is_empty(),
 		"every role selects an existing library character (%s)" % str(problems))
 
+func test_review_override_can_stage_the_guard_model() -> bool:
+	## The guard character has no spawned NPC role, so the final-context review
+	## forces it explicitly instead of remapping a role.
+	var avatar := _avatar(Rules.NpcType.CONFUSED_VISITOR, 12, "npc_guard")
+	var a := TestUtils.check_eq(avatar.character_model, "npc_guard",
+		"override selects the guard model")
+	var b := TestUtils.check(avatar.loaded_model and not avatar.fallback_avatar,
+		"the guard GLB loads through the normal skinned path")
+	avatar.free()
+	return a and b
+
 func test_library_gear_attaches_to_the_contract_points() -> bool:
+	var guest := _avatar(Rules.NpcType.AUTHORIZED_GUEST, 12)
+	var lanyard := guest.find_child("Gear_lanyard", true, false) as Node3D
+	var e := TestUtils.check(lanyard != null and lanyard.position.z > 0.03,
+		"the lanyard badge clears the jacket front")
+	guest.free()
 	var tourist := _avatar(Rules.NpcType.TOURIST, 12)
 	var backpack := tourist.find_child("Gear_backpack", true, false) as Node3D
 	var camera := tourist.find_child("Gear_camera", true, false) as Node3D
@@ -188,8 +205,10 @@ func test_library_gear_attaches_to_the_contract_points() -> bool:
 		"firefighter helmet attaches to Rig/Head")
 	var d := TestUtils.check(tank != null and flashlight != null,
 		"responder gets SCBA tank and flashlight")
+	var e2 := TestUtils.check(helmet != null and helmet.position.y > 0.02,
+		"the firefighter helmet clears the brow")
 	responder.free()
-	return a and b and c and d
+	return a and b and c and d and e and e2
 
 ## Horizontal bounds of a gear GLB in its attach-node space. The head/back
 ## contract is measured against the Blender fit report (head width 0.315 m,