Dark Beast: compact dark armor and heavy sniper cadence

AoA 3.7.1 / Minecraft 1.20.1 · source profile and partial concept study · native upgrade unaccepted.

Original role

Dark Beast inherits BaseSniper, using Metal Slug ammunition and non-automatic firing. Its subclass selects the heavy-sniper/long firing sound and SCOPE_3 overlay. It declares no unique impact effect. Its name and dark palette do not establish blindness, shadow damage, life steal or an explosive attack.

Constructor input	Monster	Dark Beast
Damage	38	50.5
Durability	250	560
Delay	96 ticks	96 ticks
Stored recoil constructor input	Approximately 0.05	Approximately 0.035

These are stored values, not guaranteed final damage or measured recoil. The nominal delay is 4.8 seconds at 20 TPS. The checked upgrade keeps that input cadence while increasing damage/durability and lowering recoil input.

Original silhouette and material identity

Retain the dense charcoal/black body, substantial angular lower grip, distinctive open forked front, squared rear and raised sight with its small red accent. The sprite is dark; readability should come from controlled surface separation and restrained rim highlights rather than turning the entire weapon into a glowing red object. Obsidian-like surface treatments in the concept are artistic proposals, not confirmed construction lore.

Divine Station upgrade

Put Monster in the left input and a Darkly Upgrade Kit in the middle; the output is Dark Beast. This is the exact bundled data/aoa3/recipes/upgrade_kit_dark_beast.json recipe.

The recipe establishes an upgrade relationship. It does not prove that arbitrary third-party attachment data, custom names or enchantments will be copied. Test the original behavior on disposable items, then define explicit preservation/return rules for our customization system.

Illustrated Divine Station workflow · Exact recipe explorer

Monster-family main concept and retained alternate

The owner's new main direction follows Monster's long angular dragon-jaw design in charcoal and smoky gunmetal, with a raised red eye and a clearly distinct barrel through the mouth. The shared family silhouette supports their documented upgrade relationship, but does not merge their item identities, source statistics or gameplay behavior. The red accent is not permission to replace Metal Slug ammunition with a beam or add an impact effect.

Compare the new main with the released reference.

Owner-preserved organic dragon-head alternate

This earlier design remains an explicit alternate, not a deleted or overwritten image. Its living-jaw motion study applies to that alternate, not to the new Monster-family main. Tooth continuity, animated clearances and hand fit remain unverified.

Earlier explorations

First exploration · Second exploration · Third exploration.

These are retained design history, not accepted native assets. Painted material modes, effects and inspect poses do not prove UV quality, model proportions, animation, sight alignment or TaCZ/AoA compatibility. All acceptance gates below remain open.

Full feature plan

• Materials and shape: original-fit and premium modes, consistent silhouette, controlled specular contrast, clean UV seams and no missing micro-surfaces. Keep both modes readable in dark dimensions.
• Handling and optics: preserve heavy sniper cadence and SCOPE_3; optional compact/steady configurations need explicit handling tradeoffs and native aim alignment.
• Barrel concepts: short armored shroud, quieter cosmetic treatment and focused fantasy conversion. Any functional changes require separate visible design, ammunition/resource rules and balance tests.
• Animation: equip, idle, aim, fire, recovery, optional reload, inspection and modification in first/third person. Include interruption, item swaps and hand clearance throughout motion.
• Resources: baseline Metal Slug behavior; optional reload only for a deliberately selected conversion. Inspection cannot consume ammo, add projectiles or change cooldown.
• Effects: capture original flight/impact/muzzle/sound, then compare optional tracers, muzzle flashes, decals, impact presets and confirmed-kill finishers. Keep gameplay and cosmetic events separate.
• Customization: skins, earned functional charms, static/animated/glowing stickers and emblems; prevent ornaments clipping into hands or obscuring the optic.
• Dismantling and upgrades: explicitly preserve or return transferable special effects and attachments; test full inventories, save/reload and interrupted operations.
• Integration and performance: native TaCZ export, multiplayer authority, compatibility adapters, cached configurations, texture budgets, reduced-effects mode and measured frame-time lows.

Acceptance gates

• Original native scope, projectile, impact, sound and resource captures
• Complete identity-specific attachments, decals, effects and finisher concepts
• Faithful model proportions, rigged-hand clearance and two finished material modes
• Full animation/interruption and Darkly upgrade customization-transfer tests
• Native gameplay, export, multiplayer, persistence and performance qualification

Released source and recipe evidence · Complete feature standard · Armory gallery

Recoil interpretation

For this pinned 1.20.1 release, the stored constructor recoil input is not the inherited modifier getter: the inspected BaseGun.getRecoilModifier() returns approximately 0.35. The per-shot method and later client application determine the actual recoil path. Do not infer a stronger or weaker measured kick from the constructor column alone. This clarification does not change the original values, weapon balance or acceptance state. Resolved method routing.