diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/ConstructionYard.cs b/OpenRa.Game/ConstructionYard.cs
index 92f81337d2..34b6c6e862 100644
--- a/OpenRa.Game/ConstructionYard.cs
+++ b/OpenRa.Game/ConstructionYard.cs
@@ -7,10 +7,12 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 {
 	class ConstructionYard : Actor
 	{
-		static Range<int> normalSequence = UnitSheetBuilder.GetUnit("fact");
-		static Range<int> makeSequence = UnitSheetBuilder.GetUnit("factmake");
+		const string name = "fact";
 
-		Range<int> sequence = makeSequence;
+		static Sequence idle = SequenceProvider.GetSequence(name, "idle");
+		static Sequence make = SequenceProvider.GetSequence(name, "make");
+
+		Sequence current = make;
 		int frame = -1;
 
 		public ConstructionYard(float2 location, int palette)
@@ -23,16 +25,14 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 		{
 			get
 			{
-				if ((sequence.Start == makeSequence.Start) && ++frame >= sequence.End - sequence.Start)
+				if ((current == make) && ++frame >= current.Length)
 				{
 					frame = 0;
-					sequence = normalSequence;
+					current = idle;
 				}
 
-				return new Sprite[] { UnitSheetBuilder.sprites[sequence.Start + frame] };
+				return new Sprite[] { current.GetSprite(frame) };
 			}
 		}
-
-		public override void Tick(World world, double t) { }
 	}
 }
diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/OpenRa.Game.csproj b/OpenRa.Game/OpenRa.Game.csproj
index f79e7c6839..28941c5508 100644
--- a/OpenRa.Game/OpenRa.Game.csproj
+++ b/OpenRa.Game/OpenRa.Game.csproj
@@ -41,12 +41,14 @@
   </ItemGroup>
   <ItemGroup>
     <Compile Include="Actor.cs" />
+    <Compile Include="Sequence.cs" />
     <Compile Include="ConstructionYard.cs" />
     <Compile Include="float2.cs" />
     <Compile Include="int2.cs" />
     <Compile Include="ISelectable.cs" />
     <Compile Include="MoveOrder.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Region.cs" />
+    <Compile Include="SequenceProvider.cs" />
     <Compile Include="SheetBuilder.cs" />
     <Compile Include="HardwarePalette.cs" />
     <Compile Include="MainWindow.cs">
diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/Refinery.cs b/OpenRa.Game/Refinery.cs
index d8529f6442..faee099aae 100644
--- a/OpenRa.Game/Refinery.cs
+++ b/OpenRa.Game/Refinery.cs
@@ -9,7 +9,8 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 {
 	class Refinery : Actor
 	{
-		static Range<int> sequence = UnitSheetBuilder.GetUnit("proc");
+		const string name = "proc";
+		static Sequence idle = SequenceProvider.GetSequence(name, "idle");
 
 		public Refinery(float2 location, int palette)
 		{
@@ -17,14 +18,9 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 			this.palette = palette;
 		}
 
-		int GetFrame() { return 1; }
-
 		public override Sprite[] CurrentImages
 		{
-			get
-			{
-				return new Sprite[] { UnitSheetBuilder.sprites[sequence.Start + GetFrame()] };
-			}
+			get { return new Sprite[] { idle.GetSprite(0) }; }
 		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/Sequence.cs b/OpenRa.Game/Sequence.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..75be84ce9e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/OpenRa.Game/Sequence.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+using System;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.Text;
+using BluntDirectX.Direct3D;
+using System.Xml;
+
+namespace OpenRa.Game
+{
+	class Sequence
+	{
+		readonly int start, length;
+
+		public int Start { get { return start; } }
+		public int End { get { return start + length; } }
+		public int Length { get { return length; } }
+
+		public Sequence(string unit, XmlElement e)
+		{
+			string srcOverride = e.GetAttribute("src");
+
+			Range<int> src = UnitSheetBuilder.GetUnit(
+				string.IsNullOrEmpty(srcOverride) ? unit : srcOverride);
+
+			start = src.Start + int.Parse(e.GetAttribute("start"));
+
+			if (e.GetAttribute("length") == "*" || e.GetAttribute("end") == "*")
+				length = src.End - start;
+			else if (e.HasAttribute("length"))
+				length = int.Parse(e.GetAttribute("length"));
+			else if (e.HasAttribute("end"))
+				length = int.Parse(e.GetAttribute("end")) - start;
+			else
+				length = 1;
+		}
+
+		public Sprite GetSprite(int frame)
+		{
+			return UnitSheetBuilder.sprites[frame + start];
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/SequenceProvider.cs b/OpenRa.Game/SequenceProvider.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..492731f9f0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/OpenRa.Game/SequenceProvider.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+using System;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.Text;
+using System.Xml;
+
+namespace OpenRa.Game
+{
+	static class SequenceProvider
+	{
+		static Dictionary<string, Dictionary<string, Sequence>> units =
+			new Dictionary<string, Dictionary<string, Sequence>>();
+
+		static SequenceProvider()
+		{
+			XmlDocument document = new XmlDocument();
+			document.Load("../../../sequences.xml");
+
+			foreach (XmlElement eUnit in document.SelectNodes("/sequences/unit"))
+				LoadSequencesForUnit(eUnit);
+		}
+
+		static void LoadSequencesForUnit(XmlElement eUnit)
+		{
+			string unitName = eUnit.GetAttribute("name");
+			Dictionary<string, Sequence> sequences = new Dictionary<string, Sequence>();
+
+			foreach (XmlElement eSequence in eUnit.SelectNodes("./sequence"))
+				sequences.Add(eSequence.GetAttribute("name"), new Sequence(unitName, eSequence));
+
+			units.Add(unitName, sequences);
+		}
+
+		public static Sequence GetSequence(string unitName, string sequenceName)
+		{
+			return units[unitName][sequenceName];
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/sequences.xml b/sequences.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b9cda217a8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sequences.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
+
+<!-- 	openra/sequences.xml
+
+		this file describes animation sequences for structures and units.
+		
+		<sequence src=...> can be used to override the choice of .shp file
+		used to extract a sequence. if it is not present, the .shp matching
+		the unit name is used instead.
+		
+		either of <sequence length=...> or <sequence end=...> are
+		recognized; if neither is present, a 1-frame sequence is assumed
+		
+		also, <sequence length="*"> creates a sequence that includes all frames
+		after `start`.
+		
+		one day, we might support inheritance here too.
+		
+		standard sequence names:
+			idle		- doing nothing
+			make		- deploy (sell is `make` played backwards)
+			build		- production building doing something
+			
+			damaged-idle	- doing nothing while on yellow health (or worse)
+			damaged-build	- production while on yellow health
+			
+		author: C. Forbes
+			
+-->
+
+<sequences>
+
+	<!-- construction yard -->
+
+	<unit name="fact">
+		<sequence name="idle" start="0"/>
+		<sequence name="make" start="0" length="32" src="factmake" />
+		<sequence name="build" start="1" length="25"/>
+		<sequence name="damaged-idle" start="26"/>
+		<sequence name="damaged-build" start="27" length="25"/>
+	</unit>
+	
+	<!-- refinery -->
+	
+	<unit name="proc">
+		<sequence name="idle" start="0"/>
+		<sequence name="damaged-idle" start="1"/>
+		<sequence name="make" start="0" length="*" src="procmake" />
+	</unit>
+	
+</sequences>