My idea is simple, replace the overhead icons with smileys to make a player’s state more graphically apparent whenever certain events occur or vsay’s are used.
Move! :bump:
Cheer: 
or 
Thanks: :drink:
Affirmative: 
Negative: 
Medic! 
Where to: :???:
Great Shot: :notworthy:
Hit icon: :eek3:
I’m on a shitty team: :banghead:
Going Spec: :moo:
Follow me: :chef:
WTF? :huh:
its good to make comunications more clear and easy to understand with using face icons.
hey i also have an idea to let players more characterized or looking fun.
player has his original image to attach his helmet or the arm band or the back. the image file is loaded to sever and distributed to all clients when he joins. so that we can specify not only what his class is but also who he is when you see his original image.
but distributing image data can bother the connection and make lags, game wolud be interrupted.
I think a better thing to do is make addition models and the player can choose which model they want to use, and which skin.
hmm, maybe the model or skin data size is larger than image. i think this would be more annoying to the clients to download it.
but adding a switch to let the players choose whether they download the custom model if they do not have it may solve this problem?
one more thing i worry that it is a bit harder for us to make a custom model than to make a custom image.
what about changing the whole player model to a 3D smiley with helmet amd backpack? 
This mod is very easy to create.
You have to create the icons and shaders for the icons.
For original icons take a look at “sprites/voicechat.tga”.
For original shaders take a look at “scripts/sprites.shader”
Then two files have to be edited:
“scripts/wm_allies_chat.voice”
“scripts/wm_axis_chat.voice”
If you want to have an extra menu and new sounds two more files have to be edited.
I’ve found this in a soundpak that has been created by Mr.Bandula:
http://www.rtcw-doenerbude.de/FELDLATRINE/Ahmed/index.htm
I’ve added an attack-icon (“sprites/attack.tga”) and a defend-icon (“sprites/defend.tga”):
Here’s the “.pk3” (~5KB):
http://www.nullskillz.de/et/a_d/a_d.pk3
Just put it in your etmain directory.
It seems that the icons are (re)-scaled.
[edit1]
Ooops, the “a_d.pk3” has to be renamed to “z_a_d.pk3” to work.
My fault, please excuse me.
[/edit1]