Hiding the HUD on a laptop
 

I understand that the Numpad "Delete" key will hide the HUD in SH4. I remember that it worked on my desktop PC. Now I'm using a laptop, and I can't figure out how to hide the HUD because I don't have a numpad on my keyboard.

I saw a suggestion that holding function and hitting the . key will do it, but that doesn't work for me. I don't seem to have a function-key enabled virtual numpad (with blue text on the keys) on my Dell Inspiron 1545.

The command for hiding the HUD doesn't appear in the setkey program.

Is there any way that I can configure my laptop to hide the HUD when I need to? The presence of the speed dial and compass make it impossible to put crew in the AA station.

Alternately, is there way to make the dials (speed, compass, depth) smaller so that they don't block the anti-aircraft crew assignment space?

Edit: I guess I would need this fix to be compatible with RFB.

I may have found a solution here. There's a mod by Longam ("small nav tools with chrono" found here: http://www.longam.net/downbelow/sh4_v15.htm) that reduces the size of the nav dials at the bottom of the HUD, leaving the crew interface unobscured.

However, the mod conflicts with RFB, particularly by overwriting the latter's nice TBT and binocular graphics (and probably other things).

Longam's mod contains the following files:

data\menu\menu_1024_768
data\menu\GUI\layout\NavigationTools.dds

(I believe the smaller dials I want must be in menu_1024_768, because I don't get them when I load the mod without that file.)

Can anyone tell me how to port the smaller dials information over from Longam's mod into RFB's version of menu_1024_768? I assume that this will be a matter of copying certain entries from Longam into RFB, but I don't know which ones.

In short, which items in menu_1024_768 pertain to the speed, compass, and depth dials at the bottom right of the HUD?

Thanks!

Was there a resolution to this?

Nuc, I don't see a listing in the commands.cfg file to hide the HUD. It might be hard coded.

Paul Roberts, It is possible to integrate any changes into any mod using Winmerge. Compare the menu_1024_768.ini files and merge the sections from Longam's into the RFB's. Differences in the files will be hi-lighted. Change only the references to Navigation Tools.

I have done this to have a smaller watch in RFB.

Make sure your "Num Lock" is on......

:salute:

I believe what Pilgrim42 said should help.

I know on my laptop I am lucky enough to have a full keyboard with full numpad. If anything you could just buy a USB Numpad, or a a USB keyboard(small sturdy ones go for $20)

Function and NumLock
 

I have an HP laptop and the key combo that worked for me was Function and then NumLock/Scroll Lock. There is a light at this key which indicates when it's on etc. After that, I believe it was the . (period) key which toggled the HUD.

Captains Paul Roberts and Nuc Nuc,

to load the men into the guns with a labtop perform the following steps:
1. Tap the Fn key next to the space bar.
2. Tap the Ins/NumLk key next to the Del key
3. Tap the "." key -- the HUD will disappear!!!

Load the men into the gun positions.

Reverse the steps (i.e, steps nos 3 to 1) to reinstate the Hud to original position!!!!

To remove the men from the gun positions, you can figure it out now.

I rest my case (I'm pretty smart, huh? [don't answer that.] Answer found at Microsoft web site for answers to technical questions, and previously posted by this captain months and months ago).

Darn it, now I'll have to restart my career on the laptop!