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

Bow tie 100%

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.

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.)

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

Bow tie, and also add a monocle.

Both and each time you look away it swaps!

Bowtie 100%

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.

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

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.

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

Bow tie

Sitting ducks opted for the bow tie

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTk2NTc4MjkyOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNTQxNTQyMQ@@._V1_.jpg

I dont mind the long time though. Might be way out of scope but if the long tie could be affected by physics that could be fun

Bow tie

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.

Bowtie

A bow tie is dapper

I like the neck tie myself.

Bow tie, it makes the ducks neck look a little less long and that's more aesthetically pleasing to me, just one opinion.

Bow tie looks better imo

Bow tie for sure.

I've been used to the bow tie for a long time.

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 fits better.

Bow >> necktie

Neck tie. But the monocle is a good idea.

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.

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

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

I think the bowtie goes a bit better with the duck's inherent ridiculousness.

bow tie for sure

Bow tie

Neck tie, if it were a bit bigger.

Split the difference, bolo tie

Necktie for business, bowtie for booty. 😉

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

Bow tie looks better.

Neck tie for me

Bow tie. Needs a waistcoat.

Neck tie for the top hat, bow tie with a bowler hat

Bowtie for the duck. Not for me though.

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

I really like the neck tie. Contrast feels stronger.

The neck tie has the appeal of flapping around in the wind.

If the duck sits still (actual stuffy), bow. If it moves around (comes alive), neck.

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

necktie. bowtie is the goose's thing.

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

Personally the necktie

Bowtie, but also prefer them IRL over a necktie.

Necktie makes him feel a bit… sad and pathetic. And I usually have no problem with neckties! It's just the way it looks on this particular duck… team bow tie all the way.

Also, is he plumper on the bow tie side? The models definitely look different so this might not actually be a fair comparison. Plump duck might look good with a necktie. But the picture you gave us on the left… well…

Paired with the top hat, the bow tie is better.

But I'd like to see other options, such as a cowboy hat and bolo tie, a scarf, a "dixie cup" sailor hat and neckerchief, a casual ascot, etc.

Maybe bow tie but nut this bow tie. Too busy.

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.

Definitely the bow tie.

bowtie, he just looks so dapper in it

There's no wrong answer here, but I like the bow tie.

Kids agree on bow tie.

With THAT hat? Definitely a bowtie. It's a verticality balance thing. The hat is vertical so the tie should be horizontal. Now, if the duck had a WIDE hat, THEN you go for the long tie.

I'm on the fence. Visually the bowtie seems more flattering because it draws attention to the head, but I also get the argument about the necktie filling empty space and being able to flap around. Opinions in this post seem somewhat polarized too, so depending on the effort required to implement it I might suggest giving the player the option to choose either.

Necktie

Fills out the model more

Neck tie.

BOW TIEEE OOOO WOWEE :3333

Necktie.

Bowtie is trying a little hard, at least in comparison.

Bowtie

What about a bolo tie and a cowboy hat?

Bowtie, but I think the neck tie could stand a better chance if it was wider IMO.

I think the only problem with the necktie is that it looks like a flat texture. If given some volume it'd work really well. As for witch to use i'd prefer the necktie since it it doesn't leave the torso like a blank canvas;

Utimately it depends on where in the game the duck is going to be seen first, first impression matters a lot. If it is in a really plain room, like a barren office with white walls the colors of the bowtie might give some contrast with the blandness of the room; If the room is more caotic, seeing the duck more "put togheter" than it's surrounding helps break with the ambient.

(Its been a while since i played portal, so my memory it's a little fuzzy, but if i remember correctly it worked so well because in the monotone enviroment of the test chambers, having something as simple as a cube with a heart was enough of a break from the mold to be memorable, also it had interactions with it in the game; an option would be to somehow integrate it into the game in like a small puzzle of sorts, making it appear near the button when the player comes and goes, stuff like that)

With that though i need to say that i am colorblind, so take my 2 cents with a grain of salt.

Asking the real questions here.

Bowtie.

Bow tie, not sure why, I just find it more visually appealing

Neck tie. You could also make it all lopsided and loose when the duck is all discombobulated, it'd be mad cute.

Why not both and add a few more. Make the game randomize which attire the duck has from a limited pool of costumes and force a change maybe as often as after every save/load/level.

Totally unnecessary but silly feature. If there is any mention of the duck in the environment/narration you can add jokes about ducks being indecisive.

The bow tie looks like a duck I would carry around and love, the neck tue looks like a duck you punch in the face. That might also have to do with the angle and eye, but the bow tie makes it look better and more loving.

I vote for a bolo tie.

I think the neck tie looks better overall, but I still prefer the bow tie because I have a much more positive association with them. I see people put bowtie collars on their cats and it's always adorable. When I see neckties on an animal, I either think 'cute animal that's always getting down to business' or 'criminal'.

The pictures are different, so it's hard to evaluate them the same. Objectively the bowtie makes it all too crowded around his face. On a more subjective note, it might be because of the lighting, but the necktie looks like a distinguished gentleman, whereas the bowtie is giving me serial killer vibes.

Bowtie