Back with a Bat!

Wow, what a busy few weeks I have had. Sorry for not updating for you guys but during this entire time, I have driven across the country, adapted to my new home as best as I could, set up my computer and began my job hunting so I don't run out of monies! In the mean time, thanks to a special donation by Malluch of Mutation Industries, I was able to get my paws on a MI Bat avatar. The Bat actually came before the Crux avatar and doesn't quite push the boundaries of what an avatar can or cannot do based on what we have all seen before, it certainly does have it's worth, especially for an avatar made back in 2007!

Again like the Crux review, I really do not have much of an idea as to where the hell to begin to talk about this avatar. I suppose I can begin with the head, which is always a key feature of any avatar, obviously. Like the Crux, the bat has a load of features in the HUD to get your bat to look the way you want it to look. Including a dozen eye colors, 7 different pupils that are independent of each eye, and even two different types of eyes: Angry, and Normal. Just from the eyes themselves, you could easily busy yourself for a while!


However, if you spend about another 6 seconds playing with the HUD, you can easily shift through some other customization points, like putting the ears up or down, deciding between 2 different noses, frowning or smiling, and even a tongue to hang out like the Crux. With a bit of toying around, you can easily get a slightly different look or just make a face or two to your friends.


Mutation doesn't stop there either. Like the Crux, the Bat is just loaded with extra features, and coupled with the Crux, you can even swap some things in and out! I found that the emote expressions and even gestures that come with the Crux work with the older bat! While some are not totally perfect, hey! I'll take 'em! You can even see them in action in the Youtube link I am coupling with this review!

Anyways, back to all the extras that can make your bat truly your own. Like the Crux, the bat comes with some basic and fun clothing though really all you get is a nifty straight jacket that contributes to the fun and creepy feel of the av and some shorts which are made of both an SL pair of pants and Prim ends to them to cope with the digi legs. However! If you feel the need for some breeze, you can just go into the Extras folder and pull out the other more feral pair of legs. They feature bigger foot-paws, and meatier thighs along with some wild fur. Also there is some chest fur as well which is another welcome gift. There is also the feature of a talking muzzle. Weather you are typing or using Voice, like the Crux, the jaw will move with it. Now it's not perfect but I doubt anybody has a perfect talk jaw script yet.

As you can see from these screens, you have plenty of options with this av, and this is something greatly appreciated.

But really, there is even more to this av than just toying with the look until you find something you like. It also comes with a great though incomplete AO. While it features some great animations like flight that you can see in the Youtube video below, it does not replace SL's terrible walk animation. However, with a bit of snooping, I found that you can have both Crux and Bat AO's on at the same time. The only conflict between the two is the Hover animation, which the Crux spooky hover will override the cooler bat flapping his wings, but the moving flying animation is still the bat's. While your checking out the video, be sure to note the emotes and HUD, they really are worth mentioning twice.



As you can see, the avatar is polished up quite nicely. It does not feel incomplete like some other avatars and you can wear it right out of the box without looking silly. There are some gripes and rough edges though. Unlike the Crux which was nearly flawless, the Bat does have some things that could have used some tweaking. First off the sculpty prims are not entirely 100% lossless. Meaning they are not as smooth and perfect like the Crux or other sculpty prim objects, but really you can't notice it unless you zoom in nice and intimate and check out certain joints in the wings. Also, like the Crux, the avatar features invisi-prims. Sadly there really cannot be much done about these since in order to have a good pair of digi legs, well, invisi-prims are the only option. Another third and final gripe I have is the fact that the Bat has a bubbly frothing particle emitter. A nice touch, but it is not mentioned and I was looking for a way to turn it off, it was only then that I noticed that there is an attachment named something along the lines of "Blargblebl" or something like that. You really can't miss it, simply detaching that would turn off the frothing.




Final Word: However, really, despite these little things, the avatar is still one of the finest bats I have seen. It has it's own unique style like all Mutation Industries avatars, and has a lot of features to make the price worth while. It's wireframe is a bit cluttered in the head, and does have it's little irks, but it's still a very polished and complete product, ready to go straight from the box or ready for some in depth modding! Be sure to pick the right colors btw, it will be hard to since all of them look great in the vendor, and each of them seem to have their own personality! While I don't think the Bat is better than the Crux, it certainly has some things that make it a worthwhile fighter like the very impressive HUD. I give the Mutation Industries a 8.6 out of 10 for another outstanding avatar. Keep up the good work guys!

And of course, Here is a link to a Mutation Industries vendor and my Flickr Gallery.


I hope to soon have the Anthro Xtasy Bovine avatar reviewed and up soon. I am also open to suggestions guys!

--Kyder.