Bird Companion
The Bird Companion was a companion character and "best friend" of Hat Kid that was set to appear in A Hat in Time in 2012. It greatly resembles the unused hat_collectible_bird model with some differences.
Appearance
The Bird Companion is a small, yellow bird with a singular feather sticking out on top of its head. It has two black dot eyes, and wears a purple cape on its back. It is relatively small, appearing to be about a fourth the size of its collectible counterpart. Its shading is much different to that of any other models, with all shaded areas being fully black. Its materials also lack any reflective properties, making it appear flat and somewhat comic book-like.
Behavior
There is no particularly specific information as to how the Bird Companion would have worked alongside Hat Kid. It appears to either have flown alongside Hat Kid or perch itself on top of Hat Kid's Hat or shoulder. When spawned using commands in the alpha, it does not follow Hat Kid, and cannot be controlled with the "avatar" command.
Removal
Much like how it worked, it is unknown what the reason was behind its removal. Considering its simplistic class name (hat_companion,) it may have been replaced with Mustache Girl or a particular Mafia Goon, both of whom have also had companion classes that would follow Hat Kid around in earlier builds of the game, during development.
Gallery
The Bird Companion.
Ditto from the side, showcasing its purple cape.
The Bird Companion seen alongside the collectible bird. Note the size difference.
Ditto. Note the difference in cape colors.
The Bird Companion as it appears in Alpha Update 5.
Trivia
- On the old Slag Gaming Inventory website, the Bird Companion is mentioned as follows: "Hat Kid (above) is equipped with her magical umbrella and her best friend (coincidentally also a bird)."[1][2]
- In earlier builds of the game, there are two somewhat functional companion versions of Mustache Girl and a Mafia Goon (Hat_Partner_MoustacheGirl and Hat_Partner_mobster.) If summoned correctly in early alpha builds, Mustache Girl can be commanded: she will come to you and allow you to bounce on top of her.
- One of the materials the Bird Companion uses comes from a cut enemy from 2012 referred to in the files as "Koolbat."
- The material in question is found in the alpha under the directory "AdventureGame\Content\Characters\koolbat\batskin.png."
- The other 3 materials the model uses are named "raincoat," "rainpants" and "eyes."
- The textures used for the Bird Companion are removed in the fifth update to the Alpha, making it textureless in that build.
| Cut Content | |
|---|---|
| Major Characters | Hat Adult • Moonjumper • Timmy |
| Hostile Characters | The Shapeshifter • Rough Patch • Light Plant • Pink & Yelo Plants • Blob Marley |
| Support Characters | Tim, CEO of Time • Tim's Friend • Thor • Oldster • Sandworm • Bird Companion • The Grass Stomper |
| Minor Characters | Science Owls • The Narrator • Sam the Detective |
| Levels | Beta Hero's Challenge • Music Room • Rectangles • Sand n' Sails • Harbor • The City of Calcite and Adventure |