diff --git a/assets/avatars/base_human_male_01.glb b/assets/avatars/base_human_male_01.glb
index 4fc9328..0ebe817 100644
Binary files a/assets/avatars/base_human_male_01.glb and b/assets/avatars/base_human_male_01.glb differ
diff --git a/scenes/worlds/test_level.tscn b/scenes/worlds/test_level.tscn
index 21b4354..64f2eac 100644
--- a/scenes/worlds/test_level.tscn
+++ b/scenes/worlds/test_level.tscn
@@ -47,9 +47,9 @@ subdivisions_height = 8
 [sub_resource type="Environment" id="WorldEnvironment_env"]
 background_mode = 1
 background_color = Color(0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1)
-ambient_light_source = 1
-ambient_light_energy = 0.4
-ambient_light_sky_energy = 1.0
+ambient_light_source = 2
+ambient_light_color = Color(0.55, 0.6, 0.68, 1)
+ambient_light_energy = 0.5
 
 [node name="TestLevel" type="Node3D"]
 
diff --git a/scripts/avatar/limb_animator.gd b/scripts/avatar/limb_animator.gd
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..568acd0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/avatar/limb_animator.gd
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+extends Node
+## Procedural locomotion for the placeholder blocky avatar.
+##
+## There are no animation clips yet -- this just swings the upper arm/leg bones
+## around their local X by a sine wave whose phase advances with distance
+## travelled, bends the knees on the rear half of the stride, and eases the
+## whole thing back to the rest pose when the character stops.
+##
+## The owner sets `speed` (horizontal m/s) every frame; setup() is given the
+## avatar's Skeleton3D. Bones are addressed by canonical name, so this works
+## for the local player and for snapshot-driven remote players alike.
+
+const STRIDE := 0.7          ## peak hip/shoulder swing, radians
+const KNEE := 1.0            ## peak knee bend, radians
+const CYCLE := 1.9           ## phase (radians) advanced per metre travelled
+const BLEND := 12.0          ## ease rate toward the target pose
+const MOVE_EPS := 0.35       ## m/s below which we treat the avatar as idle
+
+var speed: float = 0.0
+
+var _skel: Skeleton3D = null
+var _idx := {}               # bone name -> skeleton index
+var _phase := 0.0
+var _amount := 0.0           # 0 = idle, 1 = full walk
+
+const _BONES := [
+	"LeftUpperLeg", "RightUpperLeg", "LeftLowerLeg", "RightLowerLeg",
+	"LeftUpperArm", "RightUpperArm",
+]
+
+
+func setup(skeleton: Skeleton3D) -> void:
+	_skel = skeleton
+	_idx.clear()
+	if skeleton == null:
+		return
+	for b in _BONES:
+		var i := skeleton.find_bone(b)
+		if i != -1:
+			_idx[b] = i
+
+
+func _process(delta: float) -> void:
+	if _skel == null or _idx.is_empty():
+		return
+
+	var moving := speed > MOVE_EPS
+	_amount = lerpf(_amount, 1.0 if moving else 0.0, clampf(BLEND * delta, 0.0, 1.0))
+	_phase += maxf(speed, 0.0) * delta * CYCLE
+	if _phase > TAU:
+		_phase -= TAU
+
+	var s := sin(_phase)
+	var swing := s * STRIDE * _amount
+
+	_pitch("LeftUpperLeg", swing)
+	_pitch("RightUpperLeg", -swing)
+	_pitch("LeftUpperArm", -swing)
+	_pitch("RightUpperArm", swing)
+	# Knee folds only while that leg is swinging back (negative pitch phase).
+	_pitch("LeftLowerLeg", maxf(0.0, -s) * KNEE * _amount)
+	_pitch("RightLowerLeg", maxf(0.0, s) * KNEE * _amount)
+
+
+func _pitch(bone: String, angle: float) -> void:
+	if not _idx.has(bone):
+		return
+	var i: int = _idx[bone]
+	var rest_q := _skel.get_bone_rest(i).basis.get_rotation_quaternion()
+	_skel.set_bone_pose_rotation(i, rest_q * Quaternion(Vector3.RIGHT, angle))
diff --git a/scripts/game.gd b/scripts/game.gd
index af6cbf5..a54dcba 100644
--- a/scripts/game.gd
+++ b/scripts/game.gd
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ var _net: NetworkClient = null
 var _networked := false
 var _aligned := false            # snapped to the server spawn yet?
 var _remotes: Dictionary = {}   # peer_id -> Node3D
+var _remote_prev: Dictionary = {}   # peer_id -> Vector3 (last snapshot position)
 var _status_label: Label = null
 
 
@@ -132,10 +133,19 @@ func _sync_remotes(states: Dictionary, delta: float) -> void:
 		node.global_position = node.global_position.lerp(target, clampf(REMOTE_LERP * delta, 0.0, 1.0))
 		node.rotation.y = st.get("rotation_y", node.rotation.y)
 
+		# Drive the remote's walk cycle from how far its authoritative
+		# position moved this snapshot.
+		var prev: Vector3 = _remote_prev.get(pid, target)
+		var anim := node.get_node_or_null("LimbAnim")
+		if anim != null and delta > 0.0:
+			anim.set("speed", (target - prev).length() / delta)
+		_remote_prev[pid] = target
+
 	for pid in _remotes.keys():
 		if not states.has(pid):
 			_remotes[pid].queue_free()
 			_remotes.erase(pid)
+			_remote_prev.erase(pid)
 
 
 func _make_remote(pid: int) -> Node3D:
@@ -157,6 +167,12 @@ func _make_remote(pid: int) -> Node3D:
 			m.albedo_color = tint
 			mi.material_override = m
 		root.add_child(visual)
+		var skel := visual.find_child("Skeleton3D", true, false)
+		if skel is Skeleton3D:
+			var anim := preload("res://scripts/avatar/limb_animator.gd").new()
+			anim.name = "LimbAnim"
+			root.add_child(anim)
+			anim.call("setup", skel)
 	else:
 		var body := MeshInstance3D.new()
 		var capsule := CapsuleMesh.new()
diff --git a/scripts/player.gd b/scripts/player.gd
index eb78528..6281eeb 100644
--- a/scripts/player.gd
+++ b/scripts/player.gd
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ const PITCH_MAX: float = 0.45
 @onready var _capsule_mesh: MeshInstance3D = $CapsuleMesh
 
 var _avatar_view: Node3D = null
+var _limb_anim: Node = null
 
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -107,6 +108,14 @@ func _apply_avatar() -> void:
 	if _capsule_mesh:
 		_capsule_mesh.visible = false
 
+	# Procedural walk cycle -- no clips yet, just swing the limb bones with
+	# ground speed.
+	var skel := avatar.find_child("Skeleton3D", true, false)
+	if skel is Skeleton3D:
+		_limb_anim = preload("res://scripts/avatar/limb_animator.gd").new()
+		add_child(_limb_anim)
+		_limb_anim.call("setup", skel)
+
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # _unhandled_input — capture keyboard / mouse for movement
@@ -194,6 +203,9 @@ func _physics_process(delta: float) -> void:
 
 	move_and_slide()
 
+	if _limb_anim != null:
+		_limb_anim.set("speed", Vector2(velocity.x, velocity.z).length())
+
 	# Safety net -- never fall forever if something goes wrong.
 	if global_position.y < -10.0:
 		global_position = _spawn_position
diff --git a/scripts/tools/gen_placeholder_avatars.gd b/scripts/tools/gen_placeholder_avatars.gd
index bc9be0f..7089e2d 100644
--- a/scripts/tools/gen_placeholder_avatars.gd
+++ b/scripts/tools/gen_placeholder_avatars.gd
@@ -211,13 +211,16 @@ func _append_box(verts: PackedVector3Array, normals: PackedVector3Array,
 		centre + Vector3(-h.x, h.y, -h.z),  centre + Vector3(h.x, h.y, -h.z),
 		centre + Vector3(h.x, h.y, h.z),    centre + Vector3(-h.x, h.y, h.z),
 	]
+	# Vertex order per face is CCW seen from outside -> the computed normal
+	# points outward. (Getting this backwards renders the whole mesh as an
+	# inside-out black shell: every face is lit from behind.)
 	var faces := [
-		[0, 3, 2, 1],   # bottom (-Y)
-		[4, 5, 6, 7],   # top (+Y)
-		[0, 1, 5, 4],   # -Z
-		[2, 3, 7, 6],   # +Z
-		[1, 2, 6, 5],   # +X
-		[3, 0, 4, 7],   # -X
+		[3, 2, 6, 7],   # +Z front
+		[1, 0, 4, 5],   # -Z back
+		[7, 6, 5, 4],   # +Y top
+		[0, 1, 2, 3],   # -Y bottom
+		[2, 1, 5, 6],   # +X right
+		[3, 7, 4, 0],   # -X left
 	]
 	for f in faces:
 		var q: Array[Vector3] = [c[f[0]], c[f[1]], c[f[2]], c[f[3]]]