Lemmings Forums

Hi site maintainers,

I've designed a few emojis to add to the board if you like them.

All best,

WillLem 8-)

Hi WillLem, you sure have contributed a lot already WillLem, :thumbsup: it will be interesting seeing the new Emojis, see what Namida thinks of it.

Yes, several good ones! (forehead) and (cat) are very important to have.

I'll merge them when I find time these weeks. Other admins might have more time.

Critique on (rolling eyes), (excited), and (cute): These are hard to distinguish from some existing smileys, and from each other. I encourage hyperbole, the smiley should have one feature that overwhelms the picture, usually large eyes or large mouth. Can you improve these?

For fair comparison: The existing smileys are much worse, many are impossible to distinguish without squinting. :) ;) >:( :( :o :-\ :'( :D :XD: :laugh: Also lots of redundancy, we need one smiley with surprised googly eyes, not 3. :o :lem-shocked: :lem-mindblown: The reason that we still have 3 is that pepole complain about every healthy purge, and we've have no strong mind to withstand that complaining. (http://www.lixgame.com/etc/tongue.png) Also so many Lix smileys that we all merged without proper weeding. Lots of existing stuff should eventually move to the [more...] link of the post editor.

I've even run database analyses to see what can be cut. The problem is that everything gets used over time, makes outright culls hard. But we certainly must improve here. The post editor is agonizingly slow to load, to present us with confiserie exclusiv, such as the marquee button.

-- Simon

Sounds like you've put far more thought into this than I likely ever have or will - I'll leave it to you to make the call on these, then. I have no objection to adding more if they're useful / good.

Any advance with this? :)

Sorry for the delay, it seems like no other admin has interested in doing this, and I'm very rusty on how to make it happen.  But I've finally added them today, you will see them in the 3rd row after the gold/silver/bronze talismans.

If you want to tweak the graphics, just send me updated GIF files with same filenames and I'll upload them to our server to replace the current version of file.

A couple more lemojis - :shrug: and :geek:

Note: :shrug: is animated; I've also included a static, non-animated version

People are allowed to just make lemojis for the forum without being a mod or like applying to be an artist? I didn't know that, maybe I should have a go at making some.

Anyway this is my feedback on them:

:shrug: - The static version kind of just look like lumps on the side of the lem, but I feel the animated version you can tell what it's supposed to be due to the movement.

:geek: - Because the emojis are normally small and a small icon on the message, the glasses kind of blend into the outline and it looks more like a :lem-shocked: if anything. unfortunatley I'm not really a fan of this one.

Designing emoticons is fun, but I've always felt like the Lemmings case is made a lot harder by them not having a mouth... There's only so much you can tell by someone's eyes!

Quote from: Silken Healer on June 13, 2022, 06:08:27 PM
People are allowed to just make lemojis for the forum without being a mod or like applying to be an artist?

It's a free forum, you're allowed to do as you wish unless you're in violation of site rules/guidelines. Making lemojis for the site is, as I understand it, just as welcome as creating levels for one of the clone engines.

Quote from: Silken Healer on June 13, 2022, 06:08:27 PM
I didn't know that, maybe I should have a go at making some.

Go ahead!

Thanks for taking the time to give some feedback. I agree with what you've said about :geek:, the glasses do kind of just blend into the outline. A simple way around this is to change the colour of the frames; I tried a few different colours and settled on orange, see what you think.

As for :shrug:, at this point I'd probably only want the animated version to be included with the regular set, if at all. I agree that the static one is a bit unclear.

Quote from: 607 on June 14, 2022, 11:37:03 AM
Designing emoticons is fun, but I've always felt like the Lemmings case is made a lot harder by them not having a mouth... There's only so much you can tell by someone's eyes!

Therein lies the challenge! There are many ways to push the limits of the format to make them more expressive:

Something as simple as adding two spots of colour to the cheeks for Embarrassed :-[ and Cute :cute: is enough to convey their meaning fairly well
Huh? ??? adds a question mark to convey confusion and/or inquisitiveness
Crylaugh :crylaugh: adds teardrops to the regular Laugh lemoji :D, presenting a more expressive laugh
Forehead slap :forehead: adds a hand to the forehead to show exasperation, frustration, embarrassment, sarcasm, etc - the facepalm has always been a very versatile emoji
Lemcat :lemcat: blends feline features into the regular lemming face - this one's inspired by the cat face emoji (https://emojipedia.org/cat-face/)
Sleep :sleep: adds zzz's, of course

Most of these additions are based on regular emojis that can be found on various platforms, so most people are likely to be familiar with them and get what's going on.

The challenge for the designer is to continue to play around with the format to see what's possible.

Quote from: WillLem on June 15, 2022, 11:24:55 AM

Quote from: Silken Healer on June 13, 2022, 06:08:27 PM
People are allowed to just make lemojis for the forum without being a mod or like applying to be an artist?

It's a free forum, you're allowed to do as you wish unless you're in violation of site rules/guidelines. Making lemojis for the site is, as I understand it, just as welcome as creating levels for one of the clone engines.

Where I was thinking was though, if you make a lemmings engine that's entirely by yourself. But someone has to upload the emojis to the site. Though in your example if someone made an engine for Lemmings and it got enough support it might had a board made about it so I see your point.

Quote from: WillLem on June 15, 2022, 11:24:55 AM

Quote from: Silken Healer on June 13, 2022, 06:08:27 PM
People are allowed to just make lemojis for the forum without being a mod or like applying to be an artist?

Thanks for taking the time to give some feedback. I agree with what you've said about :geek:, the glasses do kind of just blend into the outline. A simple way around this is to change the colour of the frames; I tried a few different colours and settled on orange, see what you think.

Np! And my new feedback is the orange glasses don't really fit the geek emoji imo. You don't commonly see orange glasses irl and it looks more like just an acssesory. I do prefer it to the first one though.

Quote from: WillLem on June 15, 2022, 11:24:55 AM

Quote from: Silken Healer on June 13, 2022, 06:08:27 PM

As for :shrug:, at this point I'd probably only want the animated version to be included with the regular set, if at all. I agree that the static one is a bit unclear.

and yeah, I'd be fine with :shrug: being added if it was animated.

also sorry if the quotes look mucked up I think I did it wrong

Is there any updates on whether :shrug: and :geek: will ever be added?

Quote from: Silken Healer on March 08, 2024, 05:54:49 AMIs there any updates on whether :shrug: and :geek: will ever be added?

I've added a poll. If enough people show interest, could these be added please?

Quick links to the lemojis:

Link 1 (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?msg=96285) - original versions of both
Link 2 (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?action=dlattach;attach=19944) - direct download for "orange glasses" variant of :geek: (downloads as a .gif)

Quote from: WillLem on September 21, 2024, 04:22:30 PM

Quote from: Silken Healer on March 08, 2024, 05:54:49 AMIs there any updates on whether :shrug: and :geek: will ever be added?

I've added a poll. If enough people show interest, could these be added please?

I don't get why they can't just be added now. Any emojis are good by default as they give more ways to express yourself. It's not like making a board for a new engine where you have to consider e.g. required audience etc. it's just a picture of a lemming

Still I suppose I'll vote

Quote from: Silken Healer on September 21, 2024, 04:25:30 PMI don't get why they can't just be added now

The poll is more to get an idea of whether people are interested. If they are, I imagine the request has more weight than if it's just me asking to have my lemojis added.

Thanks for showing support! That's how things happen :)

Also, as I mentioned previosuly, I think these should be added if and only if.

1. The geek only has orange glasses
2. The shrug is animated

both of them need those features to be able to distinguish what they are

Well, the polls haven't had a massive amount of engagement, but there seems to be support for adding the :shrug: and :geek: Lemojis. Can we go ahead with this?

Another Lemoji suggestion (see attached) - :xmas:

Also, a reminder about :shrug: and :geek: (quick link (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?msg=103678)).

I was just about to mention this from your post in the "[RELEASE][2.4 UPDATE] RetroLemmini - A brand new version of Lemmini for 2025!" thread before you said so yourself. If I may say so, I really like this one. It's probably the best one out of :shrug: :geek: and :xmas:.

(https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?action=dlattach;attach=24176;image) is relevant and easy to see. I'll add it as :santa:, not as :xmas:. Both are short and clear, but :santa: is more precise.

The point of the excercise is to familiarize myself with the smiley management. I've never implemented my 2019 ideas (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?msg=78370) and ccx was the only admin to add anything. I promised to be a groundskeeper first and to take good care of your lemmings, and uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.

I make no statement yet about all the other backlogged ideas here.

-- Simon

Before you add it I made this alternate version, what does everyone else think?

xmas2.png

I have no preference between WillLem's santa and Silken's santa. Among these two, I'll put what others want.

In posts, both santas will look the same to me anyway. On this principle alone, we can already rework or toss 10-20 existing smileys.

-- Simon

Quote from: Simon on December 06, 2025, 03:23:21 PMI have no preference between WillLem's santa and Silken's santa. Among these two, I'll put what others want.

I always appreciate in emojis when emojis are based on simple modifications of another emoji. For example on Twemoji, this emoji:
nerd-face_1f913.png

Is actually just this emoji:
slightly-smiling-face_1f642.png

With teeth and glasses added on.

I always thought that was a nice touch, so I wanted to make the Santa emoji be based off of the classical Lemming :) . I don't see the need to create a new eyes expression for it. Actually I think the eyes might be from :crylaugh:?

---

Quote from: Simon on December 06, 2025, 03:23:21 PMIn posts, both santas will look the same to me anyway. On this principle alone, we can already rework or toss 10-20 existing smileys.

Good idea for both the Santa and for the other emojis. I would feel a bit sad losing some emojis, and I always think it's better to avoid changing hotlinked things as much on principle just in case. As you say, there is a lot of overlap though, so maybe it's worth it.

---

If WillLem can send the santa hat on it's own prehaps we can make more Santa emojis e.g. Santa :lix-smile:.

---

Quote from: Simon on December 06, 2025, 02:43:52 PMI make no statement yet about all the other backlogged ideas here.

In hindsight, after thinking on it more, I'm really not sure about :geek:. Orange glasses really don't convey geek to me. As for :shrug: I'm not sure if we should have both the animated and non-animated, one of them, or neither. I guess we already have animated emojis with non-animated counterparts e.g. :sorry:, :spam:, :thumbsup:, and the animation does convey shrugging more, so that would make sense. So if we use that precedent to chop down the decisions I'd probably say an animated shrug is fine.

Mine or Silken's is fine. Let's try and get those :geek: and :shrug: emojis included as well.

If this helps it get added, I've created a version of :geek: with a more typical, neutral glasses colour.

geek2.png

geek2-upscaled.png

You want the glasses to consume 30 to 60 percent of the space. In posts, people must see it without bending forward. You're designing smileys, not tile-based levels. Don't put minute details. Put huge blatant features.

You want a contrasting color for the glasses, not a blending-in color. A standard trick for more contrast is a thick black outline.

Compare it with the santa hat; it satisfied both and there had existed nothing like it.

-- Simon

Here's some better versions of :geek:

Both have bolder glasses than the original. geek2.png gives the lenses a blue tint (inspired by Velma from Scooby Doo).

I stand by my original versions of :shrug:, both animated and non-animated.

geek2 and geek3: I see no difference without squinting. If one has more blue than the other, I'll pick the one with more blue. I think the glasses should be even bigger (fill 30 % of the space) and the lemming should get a good-boy haircut, to distinguish it. Maybe I'll upload it as-is and improve it later.

I think the shrugging is good. It's near the maximum of animation that you can have without making it annoying.

-- Simon

Quote from: Simon on December 22, 2025, 07:19:06 AMgeek2 and geek3: I see no difference without squinting. If one has more blue than the other, I'll pick the one with more blue.

geek2 is the one with more blue.

Quote from: Simon on December 22, 2025, 07:19:06 AMI think the glasses should be even bigger (fill 30 % of the space) and the lemming should get a good-boy haircut, to distinguish it.

See attached geek4 with both of these suggestions added, and geek5 which only enlarges the glasses (keeping the hair the same as previous versions).

The santa hat is already pulling its weight several times over.

The geek will go in as soon as I have time within the holidays. Presumably geek4 will go in, as :geek:. It looks pretty clear to me now, thanks. And the shrugging will also go in, probably as it is, as :shrug:.

-- Simon

I really don't like geek4 nor geek5, I don't think they fit in with all of the other Lemojis, I'd really rather you added geek2/3, FWIW

Added shrug.

... and I would prefer the number of smileys cut in half, and both of you should instead discuss what to cut. With every new smiley, two old smileys should be moved away, until the number in the main post form is under 30-40. Who needs 30 even.

Why do I bring this up? I'm reminded of the last such political stuckage. I was annoyed that :o was too hard to see, and offered :lem-shocked: :lem-mindblown: as a replacement. Proxima didn't like the :lem-mindblown: and as a result we kept the :o and added both :lem-shocked: :lem-mindblown: -- the worst possible outcome. Proxima is forced to see other people post the :lem-mindblown: and I am forced to load all three on the post form. What bloat. To this day, I'm still considering to just cut two of them from the post page, and put them in "more" or hide them altogether. But which to cut ...

See the issue? Either I or Silken or WillLem will not get what he wants.

Silken has reasoned what he wants and compared it with the yellow Twemojis. And he has offered his own interpretation with the orange glasses (that I rejected because the glasses were too small/would blend in). This is considerable preceding work and it's impossible to ignore, and gives substance to his own rejection (that the geek4/5 will not fit in).

I have the power to add/remove smileys, and that makes me biased. But nobody else will word the issuse similar to how I want to word it. Therefore I will argue:

Are the glasses too big? You must exaggerate in cartoons. Don't like how the glasses now line up with the face outline? Make the glasses even bigger. Or thicken the frame. With 3 pixels of frame thickness, you can even color the inside and keep the black outline.

Or are the old smileys too similar to each other? To make geek fit in, mix/exaggerate the haircuts/mouths/... of the existing smileys? That would be my preferred solution even.

It's hard. See attached geek6, a mishap with even bigger glasses, with a haircut that looks like a sitting rabbit, and with the buckteeth. I don't expect either feature to be better than 2/3/4/5, and I'd choose geek4 over geek6. But I hope it nudges somebody to say something useful.

-- Simon

Quote from: Simon on December 26, 2025, 04:56:01 AMSee the issue? Either I or Silken or WillLem will not get what he wants.

I think I and WillLem would both be happy with geek2

Quote from: Simon on December 26, 2025, 04:56:01 AMSilken has reasoned what he wants and compared it with the yellow Twemojis

That was just for the Santa hat Lemoji, not for in general. Although that being said yes I probably would prefer for all the Lemojis to be similar to one another too.

Quote from: Simon on December 26, 2025, 04:56:01 AMAnd he has offered his own interpretation with the orange glasses (that I rejected because the glasses were too small/would blend in).

I think you are getting mistaken. That wasn't me. WillLem made the orange glasses geek, and I changed them to gray glasses to ask if that would make them better.

Quote from: Simon on December 26, 2025, 04:56:01 AMAdded shrug.

Thanks!

Quote from: Simon on December 26, 2025, 04:56:01 AMI would prefer the number of smileys cut in half, and both of you should instead discuss what to cut.

IMO, these can go:

:o :lem-shocked: - we have :lem-mindblown: which is the best of the three and conveys essentially the same thing. To keep existing posts meaningful, the BBcode for the deprecated lemojis should point to :lem-mindblown:

:evil: :devil: - we only need one of these, don't mind which (but again, the removed tag should point to whichever is kept)

:( - I'd suggest we only need :'(, but the teardrop should be made more prominent (see attached cry2 cry2.png, which adds the eye detail from :( and increases the size of the teardrop - this can be a drop-in replacement for :'( if people like it)

:-\ - we can use ??? instead

:laugh: - we can use :crylaugh: instead

Then, move the emojis :crylaugh: - :smug: alongside the lemoji block from :) - :santa:. There's no need for them to be a separate block.

Quote from: Simon on December 26, 2025, 04:56:01 AMSee the issue? Either I or Silken or WillLem will not get what he wants.

I'd be happy with geek2, geek4 or geek5. I'd also be happ for the glasses to be even bigger on any of these (whilst keeping other features as-is).

geek6 (with the buckteeth) is a bit much; the other lemojis so far don't have mouth detail, so nor should any new additions IMO.

Quote from: Simon on December 26, 2025, 04:56:01 AM... and I would prefer the number of smileys cut in half, and both of you should instead discuss what to cut. With every new smiley, two old smileys should be moved away, until the number in the main post form is under 30-40. Who needs 30 even.

My position is that I am strongly opposed to the removal of all smilies, and the strength of my opposition applies equally to all smilies.

Quote from: Simon on December 26, 2025, 04:56:01 AMWhy do I bring this up? I'm reminded of the last such political stuckage. I was annoyed that :o was too hard to see, and offered :lem-shocked: :lem-mindblown: as a replacement. Proxima didn't like the :lem-mindblown: and as a result we kept the :o and added both :lem-shocked: :lem-mindblown: -- the worst possible outcome. Proxima is forced to see other people post the :lem-mindblown: and I am forced to load all three on the post form. What bloat. To this day, I'm still considering to just cut two of them from the post page, and put them in "more" or hide them altogether. But which to cut ...

I think maybe in that case then it would be a good idea to take our time on adding :geek: until we are absolutely sure it's a good idea; we have all the time in the world (:geek: was first suggested almost 4 years ago).

Quote from: WillLem on December 28, 2025, 01:58:36 AMthis can be a drop-in replacement for :'( if people like it

I am opposed to this smiley as opposed to the extant :'(. That may be due to nostalgia, but nonetheless, that is my position

We need to hear from others regarding this. I agree with Simon that we should cull un-needed lemojis.

The cry face emoji with the larger teardrop is better, it's easier to see with it being so small. Nostalgia shouldn't even be a thing in this topic.