Soldier of Fortune II’s HUD (heads-up display) is controlled by console settings that start with cg_. The most useful are cg_drawRadar for the radar, cg_drawFPS and cg_lagometer for performance, cg_drawTimer for the match clock, and cg_chatTime and cg_chatHeight for chat. cg_draw2D 0 hides the whole HUD for clean screenshots.
What you can change
| Part of the HUD | Setting |
|---|---|
| Everything | cg_draw2D |
| Radar and automap | cg_drawRadar, cg_automap_x, _y, _w, _h, _a |
| Match clock | cg_drawTimer |
| Frame rate counter | cg_drawFPS |
| Network graph | cg_lagometer |
| Team scores | cg_drawTeamScores |
| Weapon and status icons | cg_drawHUDIcons |
| Chat | cg_chatTime, cg_chatHeight, cg_teamChatsOnly |
| Centre messages | cg_centertime, cg_centerY |
| Hit direction | cg_damageindicator |
| Your weapon model | cg_drawGun |
The crosshair has its own guide: SoF2 crosshair settings.
Radar and automap
cg_drawRadar turns the radar off (0), shows your team only (1), or shows the full radar (2). In team games, the radar is one of the best ways to keep track of where your teammates are, so most players keep it on.
The automap’s position, size and transparency are set in pixels, measured on SoF2’s 640×480 HUD grid, which is scaled to your screen:
| CVAR | What it does | Default | Recommended |
|---|---|---|---|
cg_drawRadar | Controls the radar display. 0 = off, 1 = team only, 2 = full radar. | 0 | — |
cg_automap_x | Horizontal screen position of the automap overlay in pixels. | 485 | — |
cg_automap_y | Vertical screen position of the automap overlay in pixels. | 5 | — |
cg_automap_w | Width of the automap overlay in pixels. | 150 | — |
cg_automap_h | Height of the automap overlay in pixels. | 150 | — |
cg_automap_a | Transparency (alpha) of the automap overlay. 0.0 = invisible, 1.0 = fully opaque. | 0.75 | — |
For a slightly larger map in the top-right corner, try cg_automap_x 465, cg_automap_w 170 and cg_automap_h 170. Lower cg_automap_a to make it more see-through.
Frame rate and network graph
/cg_drawFPS 1 shows your frame rate, and /cg_lagometer 1 draws the network graph. Both are worth turning on while you set up the game, and off again once everything is smooth. How to read the graph is explained in the lag guide, and the best frame rate in the com_maxfps guide.
Chat on screen
| CVAR | What it does | Default | Recommended |
|---|---|---|---|
cg_chatTime | Duration in milliseconds that chat messages remain visible on screen. | 8000 | — |
cg_chatHeight | Number of chat message lines displayed on screen at once. | 4 | — |
cg_teamChatsOnly | Hides global chat and shows only team chat messages. | 0 | — |
cg_chatTime is in milliseconds: 8000 keeps each message on screen for 8 seconds. In a busy server, cg_chatHeight 6 shows more lines. In a clan match, cg_teamChatsOnly 1 hides everyone’s chat except your team’s. More about chat in chat and radio commands.
Centre-screen messages
Kill messages and game announcements appear in the middle of the screen. cg_centertime sets how many seconds they stay, and cg_centerY sets how far down the screen they appear, as a percentage. If messages cover your aim, lower cg_centertime to 2.
Hiding your weapon
cg_drawGun 0 hides your weapon model. You get a clearer view, but you also lose the visual cue of reloading and weapon switching, so most players leave it on. To stop the weapon swaying as you move without hiding it, set cg_bobup, cg_bobpitch and cg_bobroll to 0. That also helps if weapon bob makes you feel unwell.
A clean screen for screenshots
To take a screenshot without any HUD, set cg_draw2D 0, take the screenshot with /screenshot, then set cg_draw2D 1 again. With binds:
bind F9 "cg_draw2D 0"
bind F10 "cg_draw2D 1"
bind F12 "screenshot"Screenshots are saved in the screenshots folder inside your game’s base folder.
Custom HUD files
cg_hudFiles points to the file that lays out the HUD, ui/hud.txt by default. Some mods ship their own HUD layout and set this for you. Leave it as it is unless a mod’s instructions say otherwise.
Frequently asked questions
How do I hide the HUD in SoF2?
Type /cg_draw2D 0 in the console. Type /cg_draw2D 1 to bring it back.
How do I show FPS in SoF2?
Type /cg_drawFPS 1. The counter appears in the top corner of the screen.
How do I turn on the radar in SoF2?
Set cg_drawRadar 2 for the full radar, or 1 to show only your team.
How do I make chat stay on screen longer?
Raise cg_chatTime, which is in milliseconds. /cg_chatTime 12000 keeps messages for 12 seconds.