diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/Actor.cs b/OpenRa.Game/Actor.cs
index 7c34977179..928d946987 100755
--- a/OpenRa.Game/Actor.cs
+++ b/OpenRa.Game/Actor.cs
@@ -21,12 +21,8 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 		public int2 Location;
 		public Player Owner;
 		public int Health;
-		public readonly bool IsMapActor;
 
-		public Actor(string name, int2 location, Player owner)
-			: this( name, location, owner, false ) {}
-
-		public Actor( string name, int2 location, Player owner, bool isMapActor )
+		public Actor( string name, int2 location, Player owner )
 		{
 			ActorID = Game.world.NextAID();
 			unitInfo = Rules.UnitInfo[ name ];
@@ -34,7 +30,6 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 			CenterLocation = new float2( 12, 12 ) + Game.CellSize * (float2)Location;
 			Owner = owner;
 			Health = unitInfo.Strength;	/* todo: handle cases where this is not true! */
-			IsMapActor = isMapActor;
 
 			if( unitInfo.Traits != null )
 			{
diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/Controller.cs b/OpenRa.Game/Controller.cs
index c92cfc9629..e0f11c45ce 100644
--- a/OpenRa.Game/Controller.cs
+++ b/OpenRa.Game/Controller.cs
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 			if (orderGenerator != null)
 				foreach (var order in orderGenerator.Order(xy.ToInt2(), left))
 				{
-					recentOrders.Add(order);
+					AddOrder( order );
 					if (order.Subject != null && order.Player == Game.LocalPlayer)
 						doVoice = order.Subject;
 				}
diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/Game.cs b/OpenRa.Game/Game.cs
index a36067a9ec..6e9fd393a2 100644
--- a/OpenRa.Game/Game.cs
+++ b/OpenRa.Game/Game.cs
@@ -38,6 +38,8 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 
 		public static string Replay;
 
+		public static bool skipMakeAnims = true;
+
 		public static void Initialize(string mapName, Renderer renderer, int2 clientSize, int localPlayer)
 		{
 			Rules.LoadRules(mapName);
@@ -78,6 +80,8 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 				: new OrderManager(new[] { new ReplayOrderSource(Replay) });
 
 			PlaySound("intro.aud", false);
+
+			skipMakeAnims = false;
 		}
 
 		static void LoadMapBuildings( IniFile mapfile )
@@ -87,7 +91,7 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 				//num=owner,type,health,location,facing,trigger,unknown,shouldRepair
 				var parts = s.Value.ToLowerInvariant().Split( ',' );
 				var loc = int.Parse( parts[ 3 ] );
-				world.Add( new Actor( parts[ 1 ], new int2( loc % 128, loc / 128 ), players[ 0 ], true ) );
+				world.Add( new Actor( parts[ 1 ], new int2( loc % 128, loc / 128 ), players[ 0 ] ) );
 			}
 		}
 
@@ -98,7 +102,7 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 				//num=owner,type,health,location,facing,action,trigger
 				var parts = s.Value.ToLowerInvariant().Split( ',' );
 				var loc = int.Parse( parts[ 3 ] );
-				world.Add( new Actor( parts[ 1 ], new int2( loc % 128, loc / 128 ), players[ 0 ], true ) );
+				world.Add( new Actor( parts[ 1 ], new int2( loc % 128, loc / 128 ), players[ 0 ] ) );
 			}
 		}
 
@@ -140,15 +144,16 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 			{
 				lastTime += timestep;
 
-				if( controller.orderGenerator != null )
-					controller.orderGenerator.Tick();
+				if( orderManager.Tick() )
+				{
+					if( controller.orderGenerator != null )
+						controller.orderGenerator.Tick();
 
-				world.Tick();
-				UnitInfluence.Tick();
-				foreach( var player in players.Values )
-					player.Tick();
-
-				orderManager.Tick();
+					world.Tick();
+					UnitInfluence.Tick();
+					foreach( var player in players.Values )
+						player.Tick();
+				}
 			}
 
 			viewport.cursor = controller.ChooseCursor();
diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/OrderManager.cs b/OpenRa.Game/OrderManager.cs
index 4a85c762dc..5f86d5dfb6 100755
--- a/OpenRa.Game/OrderManager.cs
+++ b/OpenRa.Game/OrderManager.cs
@@ -27,9 +27,12 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 			savingReplay = new BinaryWriter( new FileStream( replayFilename, FileMode.Create ) );
 		}
 
-		public void Tick()
+		public bool Tick()
 		{
 			var localOrders = Game.controller.GetRecentOrders();
+			if( localOrders == null )
+				return false;
+
 			foreach( var p in players )
 				p.Tick( localOrders );
 
@@ -48,6 +51,8 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 			// sanity check on the framenumber. This is 2^31 frames maximum, or multiple *years* at 40ms/frame.
 			if( ( frameNumber & 0x80000000 ) != 0 )
 				throw new InvalidOperationException( "(OrderManager) Frame number too large" );
+
+			return true;
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/Sidebar.cs b/OpenRa.Game/Sidebar.cs
index 4f129bc780..eb76f1c5bf 100644
--- a/OpenRa.Game/Sidebar.cs
+++ b/OpenRa.Game/Sidebar.cs
@@ -236,6 +236,7 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
             }
 			else if (mi.Button == MouseButtons.Right && mi.Event == MouseInputEvent.Down)
 			{
+				if( producing == null ) return;
 				if (item.Tag != producing.Item) return;
 
 				if (producing.Paused || producing.Done)
diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/Traits/RenderBuilding.cs b/OpenRa.Game/Traits/RenderBuilding.cs
index fb3f581aa3..a3692c11b4 100644
--- a/OpenRa.Game/Traits/RenderBuilding.cs
+++ b/OpenRa.Game/Traits/RenderBuilding.cs
@@ -18,14 +18,19 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game.Traits
 		public RenderBuilding(Actor self)
 			: base(self)
 		{
-			if (self.IsMapActor)
-				anim.PlayRepeating("idle");
-			else
-				anim.PlayThen("make", () => anim.PlayRepeating("idle"));
+			Make( () => anim.PlayRepeating("idle") );
 
 			DoBib(self, false);
 		}
 
+		protected void Make( Action after )
+		{
+			if (Game.skipMakeAnims)
+				after();
+			else
+				anim.PlayThen("make", after);
+		}
+
 		void DoBib(Actor self, bool isRemove)
 		{
 			var buildingInfo = (UnitInfo.BuildingInfo)self.unitInfo;
diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/Traits/RenderBuildingOre.cs b/OpenRa.Game/Traits/RenderBuildingOre.cs
index 4c93fffca4..036e8f796e 100644
--- a/OpenRa.Game/Traits/RenderBuildingOre.cs
+++ b/OpenRa.Game/Traits/RenderBuildingOre.cs
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game.Traits
 		public RenderBuildingOre(Actor self)
 			: base(self)
 		{
-			anim.PlayThen("make", () => anim.PlayFetchIndex("idle", 
+			Make( () => anim.PlayFetchIndex("idle", 
 				() => (int)(5 * self.Owner.GetSiloFullness())));
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/Traits/RenderBuildingTurreted.cs b/OpenRa.Game/Traits/RenderBuildingTurreted.cs
index 373a71f7dc..28a79617e3 100644
--- a/OpenRa.Game/Traits/RenderBuildingTurreted.cs
+++ b/OpenRa.Game/Traits/RenderBuildingTurreted.cs
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game.Traits
 		public RenderBuildingTurreted(Actor self)
 			: base(self)
 		{
-			anim.PlayThen( "make", () => anim.PlayFetchIndex( "idle",
+			Make( () => anim.PlayFetchIndex( "idle",
 				() => self.traits.Get<Turreted>().turretFacing / 8 ) );
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/Traits/RenderBuildingWarFactory.cs b/OpenRa.Game/Traits/RenderBuildingWarFactory.cs
index c7b1b432e4..2d1acb1ad0 100644
--- a/OpenRa.Game/Traits/RenderBuildingWarFactory.cs
+++ b/OpenRa.Game/Traits/RenderBuildingWarFactory.cs
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game.Traits
 			this.self = self;
 
 			roof = new Animation(self.unitInfo.Image ?? self.unitInfo.Name);
-			anim.PlayThen("make", () =>
+			Make( () =>
 			{
 				doneBuilding = true;
 				anim.Play("idle");