The message about the new avatar system reminded me to finally get around to typing up my thoughts about non-verbal communication.
The first time I tested, I found myself wanting some way to indicate a friendly greeting to other players I passed by without actually typing anything. In lieu of other alternatives, I would occasionally resort to interpretive jumping as a clumsy means of signaling 'howdy there' or 'woohoo! game show wheel! go you!'
This got me thinking of Puzzle Pirates. I've seen it said that the little "I'm checking out your stats" icon effectively serves as a kind of pirates' handshake, demonstrating how even in a gaming situation where non-verbal communication was not coded in, it can be valued to some extent by players.
So non-verbal communication strikes me as something it would be fun to have, even if very simply animated.
I'd love to be able to wiggle my antennae. A head nod might be nice, and even a simple eyebrow waggle would do in a pinch. Maybe we could have the ability to set an alternate expression through a second setting for the eyes or mouth that we could toggle on and off.
Other ideas?