diff --git a/src/c_console.cpp b/src/c_console.cpp
index abd7679509..eccca78fba 100644
--- a/src/c_console.cpp
+++ b/src/c_console.cpp
@@ -599,9 +599,15 @@ CUSTOM_CVAR (Int, msgmidcolor2, 4, CVAR_ARCHIVE)
 EColorRange C_GetDefaultFontColor()
 {
 	// Ideally this should analyze the SmallFont and pick a matching color.
+	if (!generic_hud) return CR_UNTRANSLATED;
 	return gameinfo.gametype == GAME_Doom ? CR_RED : gameinfo.gametype == GAME_Chex ? CR_GREEN : gameinfo.gametype == GAME_Strife ? CR_GOLD : CR_GRAY;
 }
 
+FFont * C_GetDefaultHUDFont()
+{
+	return generic_hud? NewSmallFont : SmallFont;
+}
+
 void C_InitConback()
 {
 	conback = TexMan.CheckForTexture ("CONBACK", ETextureType::MiscPatch);
@@ -1103,7 +1109,7 @@ void FNotifyBuffer::Draw()
 			else
 				color = PrintColors[notify.PrintLevel];
 
-			if (color == CR_UNTRANSLATED && hud_generic)
+			if (color == CR_UNTRANSLATED)
 			{
 				color = C_GetDefaultFontColor();
 			}
diff --git a/src/d_main.cpp b/src/d_main.cpp
index 856a4152bf..7cf6cbd8f2 100644
--- a/src/d_main.cpp
+++ b/src/d_main.cpp
@@ -858,9 +858,10 @@ void D_Display ()
 		screen->DrawTexture (tex, x, 4, DTA_CleanNoMove, true, TAG_DONE);
 		if (paused && multiplayer)
 		{
+			FFont *font = generic_hud? NewSmallFont : SmallFont;
 			pstring << ' ' << players[paused - 1].userinfo.GetName();
-			screen->DrawText(SmallFont, CR_RED,
-				(screen->GetWidth() - SmallFont->StringWidth(pstring)*CleanXfac) / 2,
+			screen->DrawText(font, CR_RED,
+				(screen->GetWidth() - font->StringWidth(pstring)*CleanXfac) / 2,
 				(tex->GetDisplayHeight() * CleanYfac) + 4, pstring, DTA_CleanNoMove, true, TAG_DONE);
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/src/doomstat.h b/src/doomstat.h
index 4a895186c6..b885c8a6a9 100644
--- a/src/doomstat.h
+++ b/src/doomstat.h
@@ -255,4 +255,5 @@ extern FString LumpFilterIWAD;
 
 // These control whether certain items use generic text output instead of game-specific one.
 extern bool generic_hud, generic_ui;
+
 #endif
diff --git a/src/g_statusbar/hudmessages.cpp b/src/g_statusbar/hudmessages.cpp
index 8c8effccce..14e70e848e 100644
--- a/src/g_statusbar/hudmessages.cpp
+++ b/src/g_statusbar/hudmessages.cpp
@@ -42,8 +42,6 @@
 #include "doomstat.h"
 #include "vm.h"
 
-EColorRange C_GetDefaultFontColor();
-
 EXTERN_CVAR(Int, con_scaletext)
 
 IMPLEMENT_CLASS(DHUDMessageBase, false, true)
diff --git a/src/g_statusbar/shared_sbar.cpp b/src/g_statusbar/shared_sbar.cpp
index 7f8bb20a1c..3faa36e36a 100644
--- a/src/g_statusbar/shared_sbar.cpp
+++ b/src/g_statusbar/shared_sbar.cpp
@@ -1043,15 +1043,16 @@ void DBaseStatusBar::DrawLog ()
 	if (CPlayer->LogText.IsNotEmpty())
 	{
 		// This uses the same scaling as regular HUD messages
-		auto scale = active_con_scaletext();
+		auto scale = active_con_scaletext(generic_hud);
 		hudwidth = SCREENWIDTH / scale;
 		hudheight = SCREENHEIGHT / scale;
+		FFont *font = C_GetDefaultHUDFont();
 
 		int linelen = hudwidth<640? Scale(hudwidth,9,10)-40 : 560;
-		auto lines = V_BreakLines (SmallFont, linelen, GStrings(CPlayer->LogText));
+		auto lines = V_BreakLines (font, linelen,  CPlayer->LogText[0] == '$'? GStrings(CPlayer->LogText.GetChars()+1) : CPlayer->LogText.GetChars());
 		int height = 20;
 
-		for (unsigned i = 0; i < lines.Size(); i++) height += SmallFont->GetHeight () + 1;
+		for (unsigned i = 0; i < lines.Size(); i++) height += font->GetHeight ();
 
 		int x,y,w;
 
@@ -1074,10 +1075,10 @@ void DBaseStatusBar::DrawLog ()
 		y+=10;
 		for (const FBrokenLines &line : lines)
 		{
-			screen->DrawText (SmallFont, CR_UNTRANSLATED, x, y, line.Text,
+			screen->DrawText (font, C_GetDefaultFontColor(), x, y, line.Text,
 				DTA_KeepRatio, true,
 				DTA_VirtualWidth, hudwidth, DTA_VirtualHeight, hudheight, TAG_DONE);
-			y += SmallFont->GetHeight ()+1;
+			y += font->GetHeight ();
 		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/src/gamedata/fonts/v_font.h b/src/gamedata/fonts/v_font.h
index a26b72044d..cb13764077 100644
--- a/src/gamedata/fonts/v_font.h
+++ b/src/gamedata/fonts/v_font.h
@@ -174,4 +174,8 @@ EColorRange V_ParseFontColor (const uint8_t *&color_value, int normalcolor, int
 FFont *V_GetFont(const char *fontname, const char *fontlumpname = nullptr);
 void V_InitFontColors();
 
+EColorRange C_GetDefaultFontColor();
+FFont * C_GetDefaultHUDFont();
+
+
 #endif //__V_FONT_H__
diff --git a/src/v_video.cpp b/src/v_video.cpp
index cf27d3f397..177caf3841 100644
--- a/src/v_video.cpp
+++ b/src/v_video.cpp
@@ -922,3 +922,5 @@ DEFINE_GLOBAL(CleanXfac_1)
 DEFINE_GLOBAL(CleanYfac_1)
 DEFINE_GLOBAL(CleanWidth_1)
 DEFINE_GLOBAL(CleanHeight_1)
+DEFINE_GLOBAL(generic_hud)
+DEFINE_GLOBAL(generic_ui)
diff --git a/wadsrc/static/zscript/base.zs b/wadsrc/static/zscript/base.zs
index ad01ca9a0f..aeeadc6034 100644
--- a/wadsrc/static/zscript/base.zs
+++ b/wadsrc/static/zscript/base.zs
@@ -45,6 +45,8 @@ struct _ native	// These are the global variables, the struct is only here to av
 	deprecated("3.8") native readonly bool globalfreeze;
 	native int LocalViewPitch;
 	native readonly @MusPlayingInfo musplaying;
+	native readonly bool generic_hud;
+	native readonly bool generic_ui;
 
 // sandbox state in multi-level setups:
 
diff --git a/wadsrc/static/zscript/ui/statusbar/strife_sbar.zs b/wadsrc/static/zscript/ui/statusbar/strife_sbar.zs
index e10e9f2ab5..117215259e 100644
--- a/wadsrc/static/zscript/ui/statusbar/strife_sbar.zs
+++ b/wadsrc/static/zscript/ui/statusbar/strife_sbar.zs
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ class StrifeStatusBar : BaseStatusBar
 	override void ShowPop (int popnum)
 	{
 		Super.ShowPop(popnum);
-		if (popnum == CurrentPop)
+		if (popnum == CurrentPop || (popnum == POP_LOG && generic_hud))
 		{
 			if (popnum == POP_Keys)
 			{
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ class StrifeStatusBar : BaseStatusBar
 	override bool MustDrawLog(int state)
 	{
 		// Tell the base class to draw the log if the pop screen won't be displayed.
-		return false;
+		return !generic_hud;
 	}
 
 	void Reset ()