diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/Game.cs b/OpenRa.Game/Game.cs
index 5ac0eed4f4..09c24cccf1 100644
--- a/OpenRa.Game/Game.cs
+++ b/OpenRa.Game/Game.cs
@@ -74,6 +74,10 @@ namespace OpenRa.Game
 				Game.world.Add(a);
 			}
 
+			var worldActor = new Actor(null, new int2(int.MaxValue, int.MaxValue), null);
+			worldActor.traits.Add(new Traits.WaterPaletteRotation(worldActor));
+			Game.world.Add(worldActor);
+
 			Rules.Map.InitOreDensity();
 			worldRenderer = new WorldRenderer(renderer);
 
diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/OpenRa.Game.csproj b/OpenRa.Game/OpenRa.Game.csproj
index ca5f68d865..108df335a8 100644
--- a/OpenRa.Game/OpenRa.Game.csproj
+++ b/OpenRa.Game/OpenRa.Game.csproj
@@ -201,6 +201,7 @@
     <Compile Include="Traits\Tree.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Traits\Turreted.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Traits\Unit.cs" />
+    <Compile Include="Traits\WaterPaletteRotation.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Traits\WithShadow.cs" />
     <Compile Include="UnitOrders.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Traits\Util.cs" />
diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/Traits/WaterPaletteRotation.cs b/OpenRa.Game/Traits/WaterPaletteRotation.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..02f7cf84b5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/OpenRa.Game/Traits/WaterPaletteRotation.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+using System;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.Linq;
+using System.Text;
+using System.Drawing;
+
+namespace OpenRa.Game.Traits
+{
+	class WaterPaletteRotation : ITick, IPaletteModifier
+	{
+		public WaterPaletteRotation(Actor self) { }
+
+		float t = 0;
+		public void Tick(Actor self)
+		{
+			t += .25f;
+		}
+
+		public void AdjustPalette(Bitmap b)
+		{
+			var rotate = (int)t % 7;
+			using (var bitmapCopy = new Bitmap(b))
+				for (int j = 0; j < 16; j++)
+					for (int i = 0; i < 7; i++)
+						b.SetPixel(0x60 + (rotate + i) % 7, j, bitmapCopy.GetPixel(0x60 + i, j));
+		}
+	}
+}