diff --git a/OpenRA.Game/Player.cs b/OpenRA.Game/Player.cs
index b687cba371..b79f45211f 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Game/Player.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Game/Player.cs
@@ -36,7 +36,8 @@ namespace OpenRA
 		public readonly CountryInfo Country;
 		public readonly int Index;
 		public readonly bool NonCombatant = false;
-		public readonly int ClientIndex;
+		public readonly int ClientIndex;
+		public readonly PlayerReference PlayerRef;
 		
 		public ShroudRenderer Shroud;
 		public World World { get; private set; }
@@ -57,29 +58,32 @@ namespace OpenRA
 			PlayerName = InternalName = pr.Name;
 			NonCombatant = pr.NonCombatant;
 			Country = world.GetCountries()
-				.FirstOrDefault(c => pr.Race == c.Race);
+				.FirstOrDefault(c => pr.Race == c.Race);
+
+			PlayerRef = pr;
 			
 			RegisterPlayerColor(world, Palette);
 		}
 		
-		public Player( World world, Session.Client client )
+		public Player( World world, Session.Client client, PlayerReference pr, int index )
 		{
 			World = world;
 			Shroud = new ShroudRenderer(this, world.Map);
 
 			PlayerActor = world.CreateActor("Player", new TypeDictionary{ new OwnerInit( this ) });
 			
-			Index = client.Index;
-			Palette = "player"+client.Index;
+			Index = index;
+			Palette = "player"+index;
 			Color = client.Color1;
 			Color2 = client.Color2;
-			PlayerName = client.Name;
-			InternalName = "Multi{0}".F(client.Index);
+			PlayerName = client.Name;
+			InternalName = pr.Name;
 			Country = world.GetCountries()
 				.FirstOrDefault(c => client != null && client.Country == c.Race)
 				?? world.GetCountries().Random(world.SharedRandom);
 
-			ClientIndex = client.Index;
+			ClientIndex = client.Index;
+			PlayerRef = pr;
 			
 			RegisterPlayerColor(world, Palette);
 		}
diff --git a/OpenRA.Game/Traits/TraitsInterfaces.cs b/OpenRA.Game/Traits/TraitsInterfaces.cs
index 0ac3703669..f355076672 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Game/Traits/TraitsInterfaces.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Game/Traits/TraitsInterfaces.cs
@@ -162,6 +162,8 @@ namespace OpenRA.Traits
 	public interface ILoadWorldHook { void WorldLoaded(World w); }
 	public interface IGameStarted { void GameStarted(World w); }
 	public interface ICreatePlayers { void CreatePlayers(World w); }
+
+	public interface IBot { void Activate(Player p); }
 	
 	public interface IActivity
 	{
diff --git a/OpenRA.Mods.RA/CreateMPPlayers.cs b/OpenRA.Mods.RA/CreateMPPlayers.cs
index ce7336d652..096bd01e9b 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Mods.RA/CreateMPPlayers.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Mods.RA/CreateMPPlayers.cs
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@
  */
 #endregion
 
-using System.Collections.Generic;
 using System.Linq;
 using OpenRA.Network;
 using OpenRA.Traits;
@@ -20,12 +19,31 @@ namespace OpenRA.Mods.RA
 	public class CreateMPPlayers : ICreatePlayers
 	{
 		public void CreatePlayers(World w)
-		{
-			// Add real players
-			w.SetLocalPlayer(Game.LocalClientId);
-
-			foreach (var c in Game.LobbyInfo.Clients)
-				w.AddPlayer(new Player(w, c));
+		{
+			var playerIndex = 0;
+			foreach (var slot in Game.LobbyInfo.Slots)
+			{
+				var client = Game.LobbyInfo.Clients.FirstOrDefault(c => c.Slot == slot.Index);
+				if (client != null)
+				{
+					/* spawn a real player in this slot. */
+					var player = new Player(w, client, w.Map.Players[slot.MapPlayer], playerIndex++);
+					w.AddPlayer(player);
+					if (client.Index == Game.LocalClientId)
+						w.SetLocalPlayer(player.Index);		// bind this one to the local player.
+				}
+				else if (slot.Bot != null)
+				{
+					/* spawn a bot in this slot, "owned" by the host */
+					var player = new Player(w, w.Map.Players[slot.MapPlayer], playerIndex++);
+					w.AddPlayer(player);
+					
+					/* todo: init its bot -- but only on the host! */
+					if (Game.IsHost)
+						foreach (var bot in player.PlayerActor.TraitsImplementing<IBot>())
+							bot.Activate(player);
+				}
+			}
 			
 			foreach (var p in w.players.Values)
 				foreach (var q in w.players.Values)
diff --git a/OpenRA.Mods.RA/World/HackyAI.cs b/OpenRA.Mods.RA/HackyAI.cs
similarity index 92%
rename from OpenRA.Mods.RA/World/HackyAI.cs
rename to OpenRA.Mods.RA/HackyAI.cs
index b40e0c2609..66c4c11246 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Mods.RA/World/HackyAI.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Mods.RA/HackyAI.cs
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ namespace OpenRA.Mods.RA
 
 	/* a pile of hacks, which control a local player on the host. */
 
-	class HackyAI : IGameStarted, ITick
+	class HackyAI : ITick, IBot
 	{
 		bool enabled;
 		int ticks;
@@ -62,23 +62,14 @@ namespace OpenRA.Mods.RA
 
 		BuildState state = BuildState.WaitForFeedback;
 
-		public void GameStarted(World w)
+		/* called by the host's player creation code */
+		public void Activate(Player p)
 		{
-            try
-            {
-                p = Game.world.players.First(c => c.Value.PlayerName.Equals("bot")).Value;
-            }
-            catch (Exception)
-            {
-                //Could not find a bot.
-            }
-			//p = Game.world.LocalPlayer;
-			enabled = Game.IsHost && p != null;
-			if (enabled)
-			{
-				productionQueue = p.PlayerActor.Trait<ProductionQueue>();
-				playerResources = p.PlayerActor.Trait<PlayerResources>();
-			}
+			this.p = p;
+			enabled = true;
+		
+			productionQueue = p.PlayerActor.Trait<ProductionQueue>();
+			playerResources = p.PlayerActor.Trait<PlayerResources>();
 		}
 
 		int GetPowerProvidedBy(string building)
@@ -341,6 +332,5 @@ namespace OpenRA.Mods.RA
                     break;
             }
         }
-    
-    }
+	}
 }
diff --git a/OpenRA.Mods.RA/OpenRA.Mods.RA.csproj b/OpenRA.Mods.RA/OpenRA.Mods.RA.csproj
index 60ba683244..ebadf88c06 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Mods.RA/OpenRA.Mods.RA.csproj
+++ b/OpenRA.Mods.RA/OpenRA.Mods.RA.csproj
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@
     <Compile Include="CreateMapPlayers.cs" />
     <Compile Include="CreateMPPlayers.cs" />
     <Compile Include="LocalPlayerFromMap.cs" />
-    <Compile Include="World\HackyAI.cs" />
+    <Compile Include="HackyAI.cs" />
   </ItemGroup>
   <ItemGroup>
     <ProjectReference Include="..\OpenRA.FileFormats\OpenRA.FileFormats.csproj">
diff --git a/OpenRA.Mods.RA/SpawnMPUnits.cs b/OpenRA.Mods.RA/SpawnMPUnits.cs
index ffbdf149b9..c915a4be2b 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Mods.RA/SpawnMPUnits.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Mods.RA/SpawnMPUnits.cs
@@ -8,9 +8,6 @@
  */
 #endregion
 
-using System;
-using System.Collections.Generic;
-using System.Linq;
 using OpenRA.FileFormats;
 using OpenRA.Traits;
 
@@ -28,6 +25,9 @@ namespace OpenRA.Mods.RA
 
 		void SpawnUnitsForPlayer(Player p, int2 sp)
 		{
+			if (!p.PlayerRef.DefaultStartingUnits)
+				return;	/* they don't want an mcv, the map provides something else for them. */
+
 			p.World.CreateActor("mcv", new TypeDictionary 
 			{ 
 				new LocationInit( sp ),