6mo ago

Help me out: which looks better for the Duck - the neck tie or the bow tie?

So I'm re-doing some of my Do Not Press The Button (Or You'll Delete The Multiverse) character models and I have this duck that is kind of inspired by the Companion Cube in Portal. I want to make it as appealing as possible so the players will attach to it and carry it around with them. Which looks better! I'm more partial to the neck tie (because I like wearing them) but what do you guys think?

(If you want to follow how development of the game is going, a simple wishlist on Steam will be well appreciated STEAM )

119 comments

Bowtie
- Bowtie, but make it a little bit smaller.
  
  I would say make the colors brighter, the size looks perfect to me.
  
  I second small bowtie!
  
  It looks too high up to me, maybe a little to large. It's definitely too close to it's bill.

My issue is the disparity of the pictures, with the bowtie picture having the duck's entire neck almost completely in shadow, while the shadow is comparatively minimized on the necktie image. It'd be nice to see both options under both light and dark conditions.
That said, I currently prefer the necktie; it provides an element to the rest of the body. I'm the bowtie picture, everything is happening around the head - beak, eyes, hat, bowtie - leaving the rest of the body comparatively empty.

Bow tie, but lower on the neck. Very dapper :)
(Also, in the future maybe post identical bodies/relation to background. There might be some subconscious preference occurring based on subject's proximity to viewer or foot appearance.)
- Yeah, both ties are too high, definitely prefer the bow tie though.

Both and each time you look away it swaps!
- Please swap both tie and hat! Also, make one other hat the classic pinwheel hat. :B

Bow tie fits better.

Bow tie for sure.

Bow >> necktie
- Thanks, guess I have to change it now
  
  I like the bowtie better, but I feel it gets lost in the shadows of the duck head. So, I'm leaning towards the necktie, just for visibility sake. I wonder what embiggening both tie styles a bit would do.

Neck tie, if it were a bit bigger.

Bowtie 100%

Bow tie but it seems a little too high on the duck's neck imo, should be moved down closer to the body a smidge

Bowties have been out of fashion for so long they just look silly most of the time. That seems like exactly what you'd want for a character who's supposed to be whimsical.
Also a necktie doesn't go with a tophat. For reasons I can't explain, that kind of incongruity looks more accidental than it does whimsical.

Bow tie. Needs a waistcoat.

The neck tie is less crowded. The bow tie with the hat and the ducks bill has a lot going on all in the same area. Maybe if the bow tie was lower or overall there was a little more space, it'd work better.
- Or if the chest area of the duck was filled with something to provide balance

Bow tie 100%

Bowtie for the duck. Not for me though.
- Thanks : )

The neck tie has the appeal of flapping around in the wind.
- Unfortunately most of the game takes place indoors so no wind, but I can make it to flap around when you carry the duck which is a cool idea

Have the narrator ask the player to choose

I'm going to have to go with the bow tie, especially with the hat.

I really like the neck tie. Contrast feels stronger.
- Thank you! Finally someone that likes the neck tie!
  
  I like the necktie. I love neckties in real live.
  Bowtie is still the clear winner for me and apparently the general opinion. But it is your duck, your opinion matters most.

Flip a coin and choose the one you secretly wished for during the flip

Bow tie, it makes the ducks neck look a little less long and that's more aesthetically pleasing to me, just one opinion.
- I want a tall skinny duck with a long neck tie and a short fat duck with a wide bow tie.

What if, and here me out, there are additional tie and hat options hidden through out the game?

Neck, but the bow would also look great if it was a little lower

The necktie, but I think it would look better just slightly larger.

Bow tie looks better.

bow tie for sure

I like the neck tie myself.

Bow tie for sure. I suggest raise the hat a little bit so you can see the eyes a bit better.

Bow tie, lower on the neck and slightly bigger to make it more comical

Split the difference, bolo tie

Bow tie, and also add a monocle.

I don’t know anything about how this character is used in the game, so please pardon my ignorance. Having said that: the bow tie has a huge advantage in that it never has to move. If the duck waddles along, the tie should move side-to-side independently. If the duck jumps, is hit, or near wind or an explosion, the tie will need independent animations for each circumstance. If the duck is carried, the neck tie should always point down, unless it’s fast or wobbly; then the tie should move accordingly. I’m sure there are other circumstances I haven’t mentioned, but you get the point.
Wow. I have overthought this.
From a development perspective, I lean strongly towards the bow tie. It’s much simpler. Also, as another commenter mentioned, that top hat demands a bow tie.

Bowtie, but also, maybe add a vest and a cane?

Necktie. Fully rigged and physics enabled. I want that necktie to crush all modern video cards.

Bowtie, but also prefer them IRL over a necktie.
- Yeah I like them too, but there aren't many occasions that you can wear one

Neck tie, but I'd love to see it comically long or at least more proportional and realistically sized. Right now it just doesn't take up enough space, in my opinion.
That being said, if we're "stuck" with these two options exactly as they are, the bow tie works better because it's a more fitting size and better proportions. For me, it makes the design a little unbalanced with too much going on above the neck, too little going on below. Coincidentally, if you made it comically small, that might actually work out better, but I'd have to see it before I could be certain. However, that's a fairly minor drawback.

A bow tie is dapper

The necktie needs a line of horizontal stitching along the chest as it puts a lot of vertical focus on the duck. The bowtie balances out the vertical stitching with its horizontal orientation.
Also/alternatively a vertical seam up the neckline might help with the neck being noisy with the stitch and tie.

Bowtie

Bow tie

You could make it a selection for the player, they choose one then the other is destroyed in a comically horrific manner. The narrator could berate the player for so callously destroying the unchosen duck who clearly has a deep and tragic back story and has long lost relatives who will sorely miss them. The duck you choose may turn out evil or maybe somehow the worst, just an awful duck who you should not have saved. The Duck Linked Content could be an included DLC.
- That would be very on brand for an Aperture Science-like setting.

Bow tie looks better imo

Both are perfect. But if I had to pick one, the Bowtie duck is the one I would carry to hell and back.

The bow tie looks better, but feels more cliched to me (not sure why) i think the neck tie would make the character more memorable

If i were choosing a duck to be the new mayor, definitely the necktie.
If I were looking for a duck with whom to party, bow-tie in the convertible all the way to the liquor store and back.
- Yeah. This is the important nuance. I would vote for necktie duck, but I'll carry bowtie duck with me to a party.