diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/Game.cs b/OpenRa.Game/Game.cs
index 7513a2f51d..1b7bc12b36 100644
--- a/OpenRa.Game/Game.cs
+++ b/OpenRa.Game/Game.cs
@@ -190,8 +190,12 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 						foreach (var player in players.Values)
 							player.Tick();
 					}
-					else if (orderManager.FrameNumber == 0)
-						lastTime = Environment.TickCount;
+					else
+						orderManager.Tick();
+					//    if (orderManager.FrameNumber == 0)
+					//{
+					//    lastTime = Environment.TickCount;
+					//}
 				}
 
 				PerfHistory.Tick();
diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/MainWindow.cs b/OpenRa.Game/MainWindow.cs
index 942c504787..5adc13624c 100755
--- a/OpenRa.Game/MainWindow.cs
+++ b/OpenRa.Game/MainWindow.cs
@@ -124,6 +124,15 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 			});
 		}
 
+		protected override void OnKeyDown(KeyEventArgs e)
+		{
+			base.OnKeyDown(e);
+
+			/* hack hack hack */
+			if (e.KeyCode == Keys.F8 && !Game.orderManager.GameStarted)
+				Game.orderManager.StartGame();
+		}
+
 		protected override void OnKeyPress(KeyPressEventArgs e)
 		{
 			base.OnKeyPress(e);
diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/Order.cs b/OpenRa.Game/Order.cs
index 24c1440c93..c9f1fd8a22 100644
--- a/OpenRa.Game/Order.cs
+++ b/OpenRa.Game/Order.cs
@@ -15,8 +15,10 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 		public readonly Actor TargetActor;
 		public readonly int2 TargetLocation;
 		public readonly string TargetString;
+		public bool IsImmediate;
 
-		Order(Player player, string orderString, Actor subject, Actor targetActor, int2 targetLocation, string targetString)
+		Order(Player player, string orderString, Actor subject, 
+			Actor targetActor, int2 targetLocation, string targetString)
 		{
 			this.Player = player;
 			this.OrderString = orderString;
@@ -71,7 +73,7 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 							targetString = r.ReadString();
 
 						var player = Game.players.Where( x => x.Value.Index == playerID ).First().Value;
-						return new Order( player, order, subject, targetActor, targetLocation, targetString );
+						return new Order( player, order, subject, targetActor, targetLocation, targetString);
 					}
 				default:
 					throw new NotImplementedException();
@@ -88,7 +90,8 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 		// Now that Orders are resolved by individual Actors, these are weird; you unpack orders manually, but not pack them.
 		public static Order Chat(Player subject, string text)
 		{
-			return new Order(subject, "Chat", null, null, int2.Zero, text);
+			return new Order(subject, "Chat", null, null, int2.Zero, text)
+				{ IsImmediate = true };
 		}
 
 		public static Order Attack(Actor subject, Actor target)
diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/OrderManager.cs b/OpenRa.Game/OrderManager.cs
index 433e74659e..bdb8f37f02 100755
--- a/OpenRa.Game/OrderManager.cs
+++ b/OpenRa.Game/OrderManager.cs
@@ -11,19 +11,25 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 	{
 		Stream savingReplay;
 		List<OrderSource> sources;
-		int frameNumber = 1;
+		int frameNumber = 0;
 
 		const int FramesAhead = 3;
 
+		public bool GameStarted { get { return frameNumber != 0; } }
+
+		public void StartGame()
+		{
+			frameNumber = 1;
+			foreach (var p in this.sources)
+				for (int i = frameNumber; i <= FramesAhead; i++)
+					p.SendLocalOrders(i, new List<Order>());
+		}
+
 		public int FrameNumber { get { return frameNumber; } }
 
 		public OrderManager( IEnumerable<OrderSource> sources )
 		{
 			this.sources = sources.ToList();
-
-			foreach( var p in this.sources )
-				for( int i = 1 ; i <= FramesAhead ; i++ )
-					p.SendLocalOrders( i, new List<Order>() );
 		}
 
 		public OrderManager( IEnumerable<OrderSource> sources, string replayFilename )
@@ -57,7 +63,9 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 			if( savingReplay != null )
 				savingReplay.WriteFrameData( allOrders, frameNumber );
 
-			++frameNumber;
+			if (frameNumber != 0)
+				++frameNumber;		/* game hasnt started yet.. */
+
 			// 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" );
@@ -80,6 +88,8 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 		public List<Order> OrdersForFrame( int currentFrame )
 		{
 			// TODO: prune `orders` based on currentFrame.
+			if (!orders.ContainsKey(currentFrame))
+				return new List<Order>();
 			return orders[ currentFrame ];
 		}
 
@@ -131,7 +141,7 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 
 	class NetworkOrderSource : OrderSource
 	{
-		int nextLocalOrderFrame = 1;
+	//	int nextLocalOrderFrame = 1;
 		TcpClient socket;
 
 		Dictionary<int, List<byte[]>> orderBuffers = new Dictionary<int, List<byte[]>>();
@@ -183,10 +193,13 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 
 		public void SendLocalOrders( int localFrame, List<Order> localOrders )
 		{
-			if( nextLocalOrderFrame != localFrame )
-				throw new InvalidOperationException( "Attempted time-travel in NetworkOrderSource.SendLocalOrders()" );
+//			if( nextLocalOrderFrame != localFrame )
+//				throw new InvalidOperationException( "Attempted time-travel in NetworkOrderSource.SendLocalOrders()" );
 
-			socket.GetStream().WriteFrameData( localOrders, nextLocalOrderFrame++ );
+			socket.GetStream().WriteFrameData(
+				localOrders.Where(o => o.IsImmediate), 0);
+			socket.GetStream().WriteFrameData( 
+				localOrders.Where( o => !o.IsImmediate ), localFrame );//nextLocalOrderFrame++ );
 		}
 
 		public bool IsReadyForFrame( int frameNumber )
@@ -206,7 +219,7 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 
 	static class OrderIO
 	{
-		public static MemoryStream ToMemoryStream( this List<Order> orders, int nextLocalOrderFrame )
+		public static MemoryStream ToMemoryStream( this IEnumerable<Order> orders, int nextLocalOrderFrame )
 		{
 			var ms = new MemoryStream();
 			ms.Write( BitConverter.GetBytes( nextLocalOrderFrame ) );
@@ -215,7 +228,7 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 			return ms;
 		}
 
-		public static void WriteFrameData( this Stream s, List<Order> orders, int frameNumber )
+		public static void WriteFrameData( this Stream s, IEnumerable<Order> orders, int frameNumber )
 		{
 			var ms = orders.ToMemoryStream( frameNumber );
 			s.Write( BitConverter.GetBytes( (int)ms.Length ) );