No Compass in Dialogue SKSE - Hide the Compass During Skyrim Dialogue

No Compass in Dialogue SKSE is a lightweight Skyrim SKSE plugin that hides or fades the vanilla HUD during dialogue, including the compass. It is made for Skyrim Special Edition, Skyrim Anniversary Edition, Skyrim GOG, and Skyrim VR players who want cleaner, more cinematic conversations without HUD clutter over the Dialogue Menu.

This mod is useful for immersive dialogue setups, minimal HUD mod lists, dialogue camera mods, letterbox presets, screenshots, and roleplay. It has no ESP, ESL, ESM, Papyrus scripts, MCM, or SWF files. The plugin fades the HUD when dialogue starts and restores it when dialogue ends.

Features

• Hides or fades the Skyrim compass during dialogue.

• Fades the vanilla HUD while the Dialogue Menu is open.

• Restores the HUD automatically after dialogue.

• Configurable fade-in and fade-out speed.

• Configurable hidden and visible HUD opacity.

• Compatibility options for other HUD and UI mods.

• No plugin slot used.

• No scripts, quests, MCM, or save-game bloat.

• No interface file or HUDMenu.swf replacement.

• Defaults if the INI is missing.

How It Works

The plugin listens for the Dialogue Menu through SKSE. When dialogue opens, it applies a configurable alpha fade to the HUD. When dialogue closes, it restores the HUD. If inventory, map, journal, console, loading screens, or other blocking menus open, the plugin can reset the HUD to avoid menu-state conflicts.

The current version fades the full HUD target during dialogue. It does not permanently remove the compass and does not edit vanilla records or UI files.

Requirements

• SKSE for your Skyrim runtime

• Address Library for SKSE Plugins

• VR Address Library for SKSEVR for Skyrim VR

Supported targets:

• Skyrim SE 1.5.97

• Skyrim AE / Steam 1.6.x

• Skyrim GOG 1.6.x

• Skyrim VR, where supported by CommonLibSSE-NG

Use SKSE and Address Library versions that match your Skyrim executable.

Installation With a Mod Manager

Mod Organizer 2

1. Install the release archive with Install a new mod from an archive.

2. Enable the mod in the left pane.

3. Launch Skyrim through SKSE.

Expected file structure:

Data/SKSE/Plugins/DialogueHUDFade.dll
Data/SKSE/Plugins/DialogueHUDFade.ini

There is no ESP to enable in the right pane.

Vortex

1. Install the archive with Vortex.

2. Enable the mod.

3. Deploy your mods.

4. Launch Skyrim through SKSE.

There is no plugin to sort because the mod has no ESP, ESL, or ESM.

Other Mod Managers

Install it as a standard Skyrim Data folder mod. The DLL and INI must end up in:

Data/SKSE/Plugins/

Manual Installation

Copy the included Data folder into your Skyrim game folder and confirm:

Skyrim Special Edition/Data/SKSE/Plugins/DialogueHUDFade.dll
Skyrim Special Edition/Data/SKSE/Plugins/DialogueHUDFade.ini

Launch the game with skse64_loader.exe. Do not place the DLL in the main Skyrim folder.

Updating and Uninstalling

To update, install the new archive over the old version. If you edited the INI, check whether the update adds new settings before overwriting your file.

To uninstall, remove:

Data/SKSE/Plugins/DialogueHUDFade.dll
Data/SKSE/Plugins/DialogueHUDFade.ini

The mod has no scripts or plugin records, so it does not leave data in your save.

Load Order

No load order changes are required. No Compass in Dialogue SKSE has no ESP, ESL, or ESM, so it does not appear in your plugin list and does not need LOOT sorting, xEdit patches, Synthesis patches, or a Bashed Patch.

INI Configuration

The configuration file is:

Data/SKSE/Plugins/DialogueHUDFade.ini

Edit it with a plain text editor and restart Skyrim after changing settings. If the INI is removed, the plugin uses safe defaults.

Default configuration:

[General]
bEnabled=true
bFadeOnDialogue=true
bRestoreOnDialogueEnd=true
bDebugLogging=false

[Animation]
fFadeOutSeconds=0.20
fFadeInSeconds=0.20
fHiddenAlpha=0.0
fVisibleAlpha=100.0
sEasing=smoothstep

[Compatibility]
bRespectExternalHudChanges=true
bRestoreOnlyIfChangedByPlugin=true
bRetryIfHUDMenuMissing=true
bDisableInMenus=true

[Targets]
sTargetMode=FullHUD
sFullHUDPaths=_root.HUDMovieBaseInstance,_root

INI Settings

General

• bEnabled: enables or disables the plugin.

• bFadeOnDialogue: fades the HUD when dialogue opens.

• bRestoreOnDialogueEnd: restores the HUD when dialogue closes.

• bDebugLogging: enables extra logging for troubleshooting.

Animation

• fFadeOutSeconds: fade-out time, from 0.0 to 10.0.

• fFadeInSeconds: fade-in time, from 0.0 to 10.0.

• fHiddenAlpha: HUD opacity during dialogue, from 0.0 to 100.0.

• fVisibleAlpha: HUD opacity after dialogue, usually 100.0.

• sEasing: smoothstep, linear, or easeOutCubic.

Compatibility

• bRespectExternalHudChanges: avoids fighting other HUD mods.

• bRestoreOnlyIfChangedByPlugin: restores only if this plugin changed the HUD.

• bRetryIfHUDMenuMissing: retries if the HUD is temporarily unavailable.

• bDisableInMenus: restores and suspends fading in inventory, map, journal, console, and similar menus.

Targets

• sTargetMode: use FullHUD. Other modes are not supported in this version.

• sFullHUDPaths: advanced Scaleform paths. Most users should leave this unchanged.

Invalid numbers use defaults. Values outside supported ranges are clamped. If fHiddenAlpha is higher than fVisibleAlpha, the plugin swaps them internally.

Recommended Settings

Fully hide the HUD during dialogue:

fFadeOutSeconds=0.20
fFadeInSeconds=0.20
fHiddenAlpha=0.0
fVisibleAlpha=100.0
sEasing=smoothstep

Soft cinematic fade:

fFadeOutSeconds=0.35
fFadeInSeconds=0.30
fHiddenAlpha=15.0
fVisibleAlpha=100.0
sEasing=easeOutCubic

Instant hide and restore:

fFadeOutSeconds=0.0
fFadeInSeconds=0.0
fHiddenAlpha=0.0
fVisibleAlpha=100.0
sEasing=linear

Disable without uninstalling:

[General]
bEnabled=false

Compatibility

The mod does not overwrite interface files and should work with most Skyrim UI mods, HUD mods, compass replacers, minimal HUD setups, and dialogue camera mods. For best compatibility with mods that also change HUD visibility, keep:

bRespectExternalHudChanges=true
bRestoreOnlyIfChangedByPlugin=true
bDisableInMenus=true

Known limitation: the current version supports full HUD fading only, not a separate compass-only target mode.

Troubleshooting

If the mod does not work:

• Launch Skyrim through SKSE.

• Check that DialogueHUDFade.dll is in Data/SKSE/Plugins.

• Make sure SKSE and Address Library match your runtime.

• Check DialogueHUDFade.log in the SKSE log folder.

If INI changes do not apply, restart Skyrim. Settings are loaded when the SKSE plugin starts.

If the HUD remains slightly visible, set:

fHiddenAlpha=0.0

FAQ

Does this use an ESP slot? No. There is no ESP, ESL, or ESM.

Is it safe to install or uninstall mid-playthrough? Yes. The mod has no scripts and no plugin records.

Does it require MCM? No. All settings are in DialogueHUDFade.ini.

Does it replace HUDMenu.swf? No. It does not include or overwrite SWF files.

Does it hide the compass outside dialogue? No. It only fades the HUD while the Dialogue Menu is open.

Can I use it with dialogue camera or minimal HUD mods? Yes. It is designed for clean Skyrim dialogue, cinematic camera setups, and immersive HUD load orders.

Credits and Permissions

Built with SKSE, CommonLibSSE-NG, and Address Library support.

This project is source-available, but not open-source. Official release archives may be used for personal gameplay. Redistribution, rehosting, modification, forks, sublicensing, or use in another project require permission from the author.