So is the scat avoidable, or am I just going to have to pass on this game?
Several patches were released: 1.0u, 1.2 and 1.2u
The "u" versions being unofficial which restores content that was originally removed (e.g. scat)
So if you don't want the scat restored (which JAST USA cut from their official release) you want the plain 1.2 patch added.
However there's an odd coding situation. JAST USA officially couldn't approve or authorize the "u" patches though hinted that there would probably be some group to create a restoration patch (which ended up happening)
For whatever reason (maybe secretly worked with those unofficial patches) the 1.2 patch won't properly update unless you add the unofficial 1.0u or 1.2u patch first.
Official 1.2 patch can be downloaded here
You must be registered to see the links
To check what version you have once you open the game's exe file click "About" (will probably say 1.0 or 1.2u)
1.2 patch won't install unless you have one of the unofficial patches added first but 1.2 can overwrite v1.2u even though 1.2u is considered "the complete" version
So install patch 1.2u first if your game version is only 1.0
You must be registered to see the links
then install the JAST USA 1.2 patch if you don't want scat
You must be registered to see the links
If someone wants everything then simply keep 1.2u
You can keep the game at 1.0 but IMO it's worth adding 1.2 since it fixes some errors, but since the file share in this thread appears to be 1.2u then just download the JAST USA 1.2 patch to overwrite it