From Concept to Quack: How Our Ducks Are Made

One of the first questions we get about Always Bet on Quack is simple: Why ducks?

The short answer is: they’re fun and we like ducks. The longer answer involves a lot of iteration, testing, and design work, so we wanted to share a bit of how a duck goes from an idea to a fully playable character.

Step 1: Concept & Personality

Every duck starts as a concept. At this stage, we focus on:

• Overall silhouette and readability

• How expressive the costume can be at a glance

• Seeing if the costume can be used in multiple colors and styles.

Even early on, we’re thinking about how a duck will feel in motion, not just how it looks in a still image.

Step 2: 3D Modeling & Optimization

The duck model is all using the same base, but that base needed to be optimized early on:

• Built a clean, flexible base model

• Kept geometry efficient for performance

• Making sure the model supports lots of customization

Because Always Bet on Quack is a multiplayer game, every duck needs to look good and run smoothly when a room is full of them.

Step 3: Painting and Accessorizing

With the base duck complete, most of the work today goes into building the many different costumes.

• Hats, outfits, and accessories

• Visual effects tied to progression

• Color and pattern variations

This is also where students in our game development classes have been able to get hands on experience painting and testing costume designs, using real production assets. Our favorite student costume we’ve seen so far has been a clown!

Step 4: In-Game Chaos

Finally, the duck makes it into the casino. At this point we test:

• Readability in motion

• How costumes behave during gameplay

• Whether the duck still looks good when things get loud and chaotic

If a duck can survive a crowded table full of quacking players, it’s ready.

Designing ducks might sound simple, but every decision affects performance, clarity, and how fun the game feels. We’ll be sharing more looks behind the scenes as development continues.

If you’d like to see more ducks in your future, wishlisting the game on Steam

helps us a lot and keeps you up to date on new updates. If you’d like to stay in touch with us directly, please feel free to join our Discord: https://discord.gg/SUjXUfmumx

Thanks for reading! We can’t wait to share more soon.

- Dogwood Gaming