diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/Game.cs b/OpenRa.Game/Game.cs
index d4e42c86c3..40a938e090 100644
--- a/OpenRa.Game/Game.cs
+++ b/OpenRa.Game/Game.cs
@@ -40,6 +40,9 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 
 		public static string Replay;
 
+		public static string NetworkHost;
+		public static int NetworkPort;
+
 		public static bool skipMakeAnims = true;
 
 		public static void Initialize(string mapName, Renderer renderer, int2 clientSize, int localPlayer)
@@ -79,9 +82,15 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 			soundEngine = new ISoundEngine();
 			sounds = new Cache<string, ISoundSource>(LoadSound);
 
-			orderManager = (Replay == "")
-				? new OrderManager(new OrderSource[] { new LocalOrderSource(), new NetworkOrderSource( new TcpClient( "127.0.0.1", 1234 ) ) }, "replay.rep")
-				: new OrderManager(new OrderSource[] { new ReplayOrderSource( Replay ) });
+			if( Replay != "" )
+				orderManager = new OrderManager( new OrderSource[] { new ReplayOrderSource( Replay ) } );
+			else
+			{
+				var orderSources = ( string.IsNullOrEmpty( NetworkHost ) )
+					? new OrderSource[] { new LocalOrderSource() }
+					: new OrderSource[] { new LocalOrderSource(), new NetworkOrderSource( new TcpClient( NetworkHost, NetworkPort ) ) };
+				orderManager = new OrderManager(orderSources, "replay.rep" );
+			}
 
 			PlaySound("intro.aud", false);
 
@@ -155,8 +164,9 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 				{
 					lastTime += timestep;
 
-					if (orderManager.Tick())
+					if( orderManager.IsReadyForNextFrame )
 					{
+						orderManager.Tick();
 						if (controller.orderGenerator != null)
 							controller.orderGenerator.Tick();
 
@@ -172,6 +182,8 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 						foreach (var player in players.Values)
 							player.Tick();
 					}
+					else if( orderManager.FrameNumber == 0 )
+						lastTime = Environment.TickCount;
 				}
 
 				PerfHistory.Tick();
diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/MainWindow.cs b/OpenRa.Game/MainWindow.cs
index 92b4f4067f..dff4bfe9f7 100755
--- a/OpenRa.Game/MainWindow.cs
+++ b/OpenRa.Game/MainWindow.cs
@@ -52,6 +52,8 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 			WorldRenderer.ShowUnitPaths = settings.GetValue("pathdebug", false);
 			Game.timestep = settings.GetValue("rate", 40);
 			Game.Replay = settings.GetValue("replay", "");
+			Game.NetworkHost = settings.GetValue( "host", "" );
+			Game.NetworkPort = int.Parse( settings.GetValue( "port", "0" ) );
 
 			Game.Initialize(settings.GetValue("map", "scm12ea.ini"), renderer, new int2(ClientSize),
 				settings.GetValue("player", 1));
diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/OrderManager.cs b/OpenRa.Game/OrderManager.cs
index c1480cb84f..4eb13b9fda 100755
--- a/OpenRa.Game/OrderManager.cs
+++ b/OpenRa.Game/OrderManager.cs
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ using System.IO;
 using System.Net;
 using IjwFramework.Types;
 using System.Net.Sockets;
+using System.Threading;
 
 namespace OpenRa.Game
 {
@@ -34,11 +35,20 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 			savingReplay = new BinaryWriter( new FileStream( replayFilename, FileMode.Create ) );
 		}
 
-		public bool Tick()
+		public bool IsReadyForNextFrame
+		{
+			get
+			{
+				foreach( var p in players )
+					if( !p.IsReadyForFrame( frameNumber ) )
+						return false;
+				return true;
+			}
+		}
+
+		public void Tick()
 		{
 			var localOrders = Game.controller.GetRecentOrders();
-			if( localOrders == null )
-				return false;
 
 			foreach( var p in players )
 				p.SendLocalOrders( frameNumber + FramesAhead, localOrders );
@@ -59,7 +69,7 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 			if( ( frameNumber & 0x80000000 ) != 0 )
 				throw new InvalidOperationException( "(OrderManager) Frame number too large" );
 
-			return true;
+			return;
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -67,6 +77,7 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 	{
 		void SendLocalOrders( int localFrame, List<Order> localOrders );
 		List<Order> OrdersForFrame( int currentFrame );
+		bool IsReadyForFrame( int frameNumber );
 	}
 
 	class LocalOrderSource : OrderSource
@@ -83,6 +94,11 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 		{
 			orders[ localFrame ] = localOrders;
 		}
+
+		public bool IsReadyForFrame( int frameNumber )
+		{
+			return true;
+		}
 	}
 
 	class ReplayOrderSource : OrderSource
@@ -120,40 +136,59 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 			}
 		}
 
+		public bool IsReadyForFrame( int frameNumber )
+		{
+			return true;
+		}
 	}
 
 	class NetworkOrderSource : OrderSource
 	{
 		int nextLocalOrderFrame = 0;
 		TcpClient socket;
-		BinaryReader reader;
+
+		Dictionary<int, List<Order>> orders = new Dictionary<int,List<Order>>();
 
 		public NetworkOrderSource( TcpClient socket )
 		{
 			this.socket = socket;
-			reader = new BinaryReader( socket.GetStream() );
+			var reader = new BinaryReader( socket.GetStream() );
 
 			var nextFrameId = System.BitConverter.GetBytes( nextLocalOrderFrame );
 			socket.GetStream().Write( nextFrameId, 0, nextFrameId.Length );
-		}
 
-		public List<Order> OrdersForFrame( int currentFrame )
-		{
-			if( currentFrame == 0 )
+			new Thread( () =>
 			{
 				var firstFrameNum = reader.ReadInt32();
 				if( firstFrameNum != 0 )
 					throw new InvalidOperationException( "Wrong frame number at start of stream" );
-			}
 
-			var ret = new List<Order>();
-			while( true )
-			{
+				var currentFrame = 0;
 				var first = reader.ReadUInt32();
-				if( first == currentFrame + 1 )
-					return ret;
-				ret.Add( Order.Deserialize( reader, first ) );
-			}
+				while( true )
+				{
+					var ret = new List<Order>();
+					while( true )
+					{
+						if( first == currentFrame + 1 )
+						{
+							lock( orders )
+								orders[ currentFrame ] = ret;
+							ret = new List<Order>();
+							++currentFrame;
+							break;
+						}
+						ret.Add( Order.Deserialize( reader, first ) );
+					}
+				}
+			} ).Start();
+		}
+
+		public List<Order> OrdersForFrame( int currentFrame )
+		{
+			// TODO: prune `orders` based on currentFrame.
+			lock( orders )
+				return orders[ currentFrame ];
 		}
 
 		public void SendLocalOrders( int localFrame, List<Order> localOrders )
@@ -171,5 +206,11 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 			var nextFrameId = System.BitConverter.GetBytes( nextLocalOrderFrame );
 			socket.GetStream().Write( nextFrameId, 0, nextFrameId.Length );
 		}
+
+		public bool IsReadyForFrame( int frameNumber )
+		{
+			lock( orders )
+				return orders.ContainsKey( frameNumber );
+		}
 	}
 }