I think if you work with the current question feature and the options you can achieve much of what you want, you may have to sacrifice some but you will be better off with not having to change the core code.
Also I have seen a request such as this for some time now so oxwall might be working on a solution. Have you tried different ways to do this with the core feature?
I say this because i used to be totally for changing the code, and i have done alot of code mods with my version. But over time it becomes a true burden every time to put the changes back. Its nice to begin with but after a while the changes become more and more and you end up with a project rather than a simple change.
So think about that before you dive into changing the core, and is it worth it for eye candy.