Community Icons

Hotline Protocol

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Core Documentation

• Documentation Home
• Glossary / Terms
• Protocol History

Technical Specifications

• Transaction IDs
• Field Definitions
• Access Bits
• Error Codes

Binary & Data

• FILP/RFLT Specs
• News Headers
• Logic Sequences

External Networking

• Tracker (HTRK)
• HTTP Tunneling
• Global Server

Assets

• Icon Gallery

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Hotline Lifestyle: The Age of Custom Icons

While official icon sets provided the foundation, the true soul of Hotline was found in the custom creations of community art groups. These icons weren't just avatars; they were badges of membership in elite server circles.

The Cultural Impact

In the late 90s and early 2000s, being an "Icon Artist" was a respected role. Groups like **BadMoon** and **Digital Obsession** pushed the 32x32 pixel canvas to its absolute limit, utilizing specialized Macintosh color palettes to create high-contrast, anti-aliased masterpieces.

Servers would often have "Member Only" icon sets, where an admin would assign you a specific ID that only people in your group could wear.

Community Showcase (Examples)

These examples are pulled from the community archives in the /ik0ns/ directory. Note that these often featured more experimental art styles, ranging from photorealism to abstract neon. Typical icon size was 232px Wide and 18px tall (Just to fit in the user field in the original client).

2900

2954

3168

3188

5108

5139

5472

7053

5500

5501

7052

7666

7686

9107

9156

9388

10004

10022

10124

10143

10186

10190

10203

10406

11156

20020

23271

23603

23642

24431

25627

25726

27001

27008

27117

27144

30002

3174

3453

Famous Icon Groups

• BadMoon: Known for dark, sleek, and atmospheric icon sets often found on underground file-sharing servers.
• Digital Obsession (DO): Pushed the boundaries of "Pixel Art" with vibrant colors and sharp gradients.
• The Realm: Highly exclusive sets usually tied to specific server staff or "Elite" members.