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I don't like negative threads in general, but I felt strongly enough to start this topic on how much I disapprove of the namechange from giant bats to MEGABATS!!!

It sounds very umm ... demolition-derbyish? I can't stop hearing an overly-caffeinated announcer in my head repeating, "SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!!!!"

It's almost comical! If I were to propose a solution, I'd simply name them bats.

Apparently they're a real thing, if that helps: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megabat

Well, how about that! Learn something new everyday.

They are not that big. We should call them kilobats.

Aww, I wasn't paying enough attention last night. When I saw one, I assumed it was a special, unique bat I'd discovered

If there ever is a unique bat, it should be called the Omegabat.

dtsund wrote:If there ever is a unique bat, it should be called the Omegabat.

Oh, come now. It's a roguelike -- we must have the Alphabat to fight.

Megabat sounds silly. I think of robots whenever I hear "Mega" in a name.

I think this was in response to the thread about too many "giant" animals?

I'm not sure if it's worth having an opinion or not... But I have nothing against all the "giant" animals.

Funnily enough, rats are not "giant". I think there should be "Rodents of Unusual Size" myself.

Of course, because naturally they don't exist.

OK-- I support the idea of renaming most 'Giant X' type monsters to a more distinct name. The 'Giant X' naming scheme is a bad trope / cop out in Fantasy, RPGs, and Roguelikes. With that being said 'megabat' actually manages to be worse, even if more accurate, IMHO.

If 'giant' has to go, why not just pick the common name of a suitable candidate from here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megabat

They're not calling humans by their suborder...

I don't care what they call'em as long as I can splatter them all over the walls and floors.

How about Carnivorous Bat?

Make it's description say it likes flesh and carrion.

Megabat is kind of silly. Carnivorous bat might be better. or what's wrong with just 'bat'?

If we look at the 'real thing', then Megabat is misleading. Fruit Bat or Flying Fox would be more correct. Carnivorous bat would be absolutely wrong

From wiki:

Megabat
...The megabat, contrary to its name, is not always large: the smallest species is 6 centimetres (2.4 in) long and thus smaller than some microbats.[citation needed] The largest reach 40 centimetres (16 in) in length and attain a wingspan of 150 centimetres (4.9 ft), weighing in at nearly 1 kilogram (2.2 lb)....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megabat

Giant Golden-crowned Flying Fox
... also known as the Golden-capped fruit bat, is a rare fruit bat and considered the largest known bat in the world. ...
...Like all other fruit bats, they have no tail. They are considered the largest of all bats, with a wingspan average of 1.5 meters (5 ft) and weighing up to 1.2 kg (2.6 lb), though the Large Flying Fox has a greater wingspan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acerodon_jubatus

Large Flying Fox
...Like the other members of the genus Pteropus, or the Old World fruit bats, it feeds exclusively on fruits. It is noted for being the largest member of the bat family by wingspan, which reaches 6 feet (1.8 m). It, as with all other Old World fruit bats, lacks the ability to echolocate. ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_Flying_Fox

How about Bigbadbat ?

Spooky Bat
Winged Rat

Anyone basing their argument on "reality" (a place I've heard of but don't visit too often) is probably barking up the wrong tree.

It just needs to sound cool & plausible in the game. I don't think megabat fits the bill but

OH MY G*D I CAN"T BELIEVE I"M PARTICIPATING IN THIS CONVERSATION!

I need spend more time in "reality" me thinks.

danr wrote:OH MY G*D I CAN"T BELIEVE I"M PARTICIPATING IN THIS CONVERSATION!

I need spend more time in "reality" me thinks.

Well, at least we're all trying to be constructive... There's very little serious nerd rage.

How about, "Large Bat"? It is what says on the tin. Flying Fox will just strike most people as a fox with bat wings... In the name of continuing a bike shed type argument I still prefer 'Bat' or 'Carnivorous Bat'. Or anything better than mega that's not giant.

I support renaming every upgraded version of monsters (death yaks, blink frogs, the better bees) to mega-foo.

Also Blink -foo. Blink Hydra's ftw.

I actually don't mind the original Giant Bats. Don't mind 'megabat' either, though 'Flying Fox' does have a nice ring to it.

Giant-foo is cliched as hell in RPGs, true, but isn't crawl really the quintessential version of the old-school D&D dungeon crawl? At least we haven't reached the point yet where there are multiple sizes of things, like the Monster Manual II did.

aboiled bad
abominable bat
almighty bat
angry bat
annoyed bat
acerbic bat
awesome bat
bad bat
beastly bat
berserk bat
big bat
bilious bat
brainsick bat
brawny bat
bloodthirsty bat
bulky bat
cranky bat
chippy bat
choleric bat
colossal bat
decuman bat
disastrous bat
displeased bat
dreadful bat
enormous bat
enraged bat
exasperated bat
female bat
flappable bat
formidable bat
frightful bat
furious bat
gargantuan bat
ghastly bat
giant bat
gigantic bat
heinous bat
horrible bat
huge bat
huffish bat
humongous bat
immane bat
immense bat
indignant bat
insane bat
irascible bat
irate bat
irked bat
kingly bat
large bat
lurid bat
mad bat
majestic bat
mammoth bat
menstruating bat
mighty bat
monstrous bat
monstrously bat
oversized bat
potent bat
powerful bat
puissant bat
punchy bat
rabid bat
raging bat
regal bat
royal bat
sanguinary bat
shirty bat
short-tempered bat
stout bat
spanking bat
sturdy bat
swingeing bat
testy bat
tremendous bat
vexed bat
vigorous bat
walloping bat
weighty bat
wrathful bat
wroth bat

Killerbat
Murderbat
Monsterbat

Dekabat
Hektobat
Kilobat
Megabat
Gigabat
Terabat
Petabat
Exabat
Zettabat
Yotabat

Überbat

Batbeast
Batman
Batrat

...

Menstruating bat?

<3

Bat -> mammal -> blood/cycle/moon/primat = strange big bat

Apart from how to name Giant Bats, what about of actualy implementing menstruating bats as a very rare kind of bat or Giant Bats have a very slight chance to transform in menstruating bats if not killed.
They spawn a puddle of blood from time to time.
This blood can be ingested with 'c' or 'fulsome destilled' in bottles.
If filled in bottles it will not coagulate.
Menstrual blood of bats should be a very unpredictable occult liquid in DCSS.
If ingested effects can range from nothing to
- slight higher satiation or lower satiation (vomit)
- disease/poison/confusion etc. level + or -
- health/magic up or down
- magical condamination up or down
- mutation + or -
- random combinations of all ?

Not shure about special rules (good or bad) for vampires (especially in bat-form).

Zchris13 wrote:Blink Hydra's ftw.

It would actually be hilarious if the devs built two weeks of testing releases where the Hydras had Controlled Blink. It's be doubly hilarious if they 'played it straight' as though it was a 'great idea'. Lucky I'm not a dev.

I would also expect menstruating bats to randomly berserk for no good reason.

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Megabats!!!!

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