diff --git a/OpenRA.Game/Game.cs b/OpenRA.Game/Game.cs
index d570f0e5ed..b366bd4fd9 100755
--- a/OpenRA.Game/Game.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Game/Game.cs
@@ -190,7 +190,8 @@ namespace OpenRA
 						else
 							if (orderManager.NetFrameNumber == 0)
 								orderManager.LastTickTime = Environment.TickCount;
-					
+
+						world.TickRender(worldRenderer);
 						viewport.Tick();
 					}
 				}
diff --git a/OpenRA.Game/OpenRA.Game.csproj b/OpenRA.Game/OpenRA.Game.csproj
index 6f7b5cbd0c..19947ca9e6 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Game/OpenRA.Game.csproj
+++ b/OpenRA.Game/OpenRA.Game.csproj
@@ -217,6 +217,7 @@
     <Compile Include="World.cs" />
     <Compile Include="WorldUtils.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Network\ReplayRecorderConnection.cs" />
+    <Compile Include="Widgets\TooltipContainerWidget.cs" />
   </ItemGroup>
   <ItemGroup>
     <ProjectReference Include="..\OpenRA.FileFormats\OpenRA.FileFormats.csproj">
diff --git a/OpenRA.Game/Traits/TraitsInterfaces.cs b/OpenRA.Game/Traits/TraitsInterfaces.cs
index 42b75205ab..d04f5d5bde 100755
--- a/OpenRA.Game/Traits/TraitsInterfaces.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Game/Traits/TraitsInterfaces.cs
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ namespace OpenRA.Traits
 	}
 
 	public interface ITick { void Tick(Actor self); }
+	public interface ITickRender { void TickRender(WorldRenderer wr, Actor self); }
 	public interface IRender { IEnumerable<Renderable> Render(Actor self, WorldRenderer wr); }
 	public interface IAutoSelectionSize { int2 SelectionSize(Actor self); }
 
diff --git a/OpenRA.Game/Widgets/MapPreviewWidget.cs b/OpenRA.Game/Widgets/MapPreviewWidget.cs
index d68cf983d4..667343798c 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Game/Widgets/MapPreviewWidget.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Game/Widgets/MapPreviewWidget.cs
@@ -12,31 +12,42 @@ using System;
 using System.Collections.Generic;
 using System.Drawing;
 using System.Linq;
+using System.Threading;
 using OpenRA.FileFormats;
 using OpenRA.Graphics;
+using OpenRA.Network;
 
 namespace OpenRA.Widgets
 {
 	public class MapPreviewWidget : Widget
 	{
 		public Func<Map> Map = () => null;
-		public Func<Dictionary<int2, Color>> SpawnColors = () => new Dictionary<int2, Color>();
+		public Func<Dictionary<int2, Session.Client>> SpawnClients = () => new Dictionary<int2, Session.Client>();
 		public Action<MouseInput> OnMouseDown = _ => {};
 		public Action<int, int2> OnTooltip = (_, __) => { };
 		public bool IgnoreMouseInput = false;
 		public bool ShowSpawnPoints = true;
 
-		static readonly Cache<Map,Bitmap> PreviewCache = new Cache<Map, Bitmap>(stub => Minimap.RenderMapPreview( new Map( stub.Path )));
+		public readonly string TooltipContainer;
+		public readonly string TooltipTemplate = "SPAWN_TOOLTIP";
+		Lazy<TooltipContainerWidget> tooltipContainer;
+		public int TooltipSpawnIndex = -1;
 
-		public MapPreviewWidget() : base() { }
+		public MapPreviewWidget() : base()
+		{
+			tooltipContainer = Lazy.New(() => Ui.Root.Get<TooltipContainerWidget>(TooltipContainer));
+		}
 
 		protected MapPreviewWidget(MapPreviewWidget other)
 			: base(other)
 		{
 			lastMap = other.lastMap;
 			Map = other.Map;
-			SpawnColors = other.SpawnColors;
+			SpawnClients = other.SpawnClients;
 			ShowSpawnPoints = other.ShowSpawnPoints;
+			TooltipTemplate = other.TooltipTemplate;
+			TooltipContainer = other.TooltipContainer;
+			tooltipContainer = Lazy.New(() => Ui.Root.Get<TooltipContainerWidget>(TooltipContainer));
 		}
 
 		public override Widget Clone() { return new MapPreviewWidget(this); }
@@ -53,6 +64,18 @@ namespace OpenRA.Widgets
 			return true;
 		}
 
+		public override void MouseEntered()
+		{
+			if (TooltipContainer == null) return;
+			tooltipContainer.Value.SetTooltip(TooltipTemplate, new WidgetArgs() {{ "preview", this }});
+		}
+
+		public override void MouseExited()
+		{
+			if (TooltipContainer == null) return;
+			tooltipContainer.Value.RemoveTooltip();
+		}
+
 		public int2 ConvertToPreview(int2 point)
 		{
 			var map = Map();
@@ -68,19 +91,30 @@ namespace OpenRA.Widgets
 		public override void Draw()
 		{
 			var map = Map();
-			if( map == null ) return;
+			if (map == null)
+				return;
+
+			// Preview unavailable
+			if (!Loaded)
+			{
+				GeneratePreview();
+				return;
+			}
 
 			if (lastMap != map)
 			{
 				lastMap = map;
 
 				// Update image data
-				var preview = PreviewCache[map];
-				if( mapChooserSheet == null || mapChooserSheet.Size.Width != preview.Width || mapChooserSheet.Size.Height != preview.Height )
-					mapChooserSheet = new Sheet(new Size( preview.Width, preview.Height ) );
+				Bitmap preview;
+				lock (syncRoot)
+					preview = Previews[map.Uid];
 
-				mapChooserSheet.Texture.SetData( preview );
-				mapChooserSprite = new Sprite( mapChooserSheet, new Rectangle( 0, 0, map.Bounds.Width, map.Bounds.Height ), TextureChannel.Alpha );
+				if (mapChooserSheet == null || mapChooserSheet.Size.Width != preview.Width || mapChooserSheet.Size.Height != preview.Height)
+					mapChooserSheet = new Sheet(new Size(preview.Width, preview.Height));
+
+				mapChooserSheet.Texture.SetData(preview);
+				mapChooserSprite = new Sprite(mapChooserSheet, new Rectangle(0, 0, map.Bounds.Width, map.Bounds.Height), TextureChannel.Alpha);
 			}
 
 			// Update map rect
@@ -90,13 +124,14 @@ namespace OpenRA.Widgets
 			var dh = (int)(PreviewScale * (size - map.Bounds.Height)) / 2;
 			MapRect = new Rectangle(RenderBounds.X + dw, RenderBounds.Y + dh, (int)(map.Bounds.Width * PreviewScale), (int)(map.Bounds.Height * PreviewScale));
 
-			Game.Renderer.RgbaSpriteRenderer.DrawSprite( mapChooserSprite,
+			Game.Renderer.RgbaSpriteRenderer.DrawSprite(mapChooserSprite,
 				new float2(MapRect.Location),
-				new float2( MapRect.Size ) );
+				new float2(MapRect.Size));
 
+			TooltipSpawnIndex = -1;
 			if (ShowSpawnPoints)
 			{
-				var colors = SpawnColors();
+				var colors = SpawnClients().ToDictionary(c => c.Key, c => c.Value.ColorRamp.GetColor(0));
 
 				var spawnPoints = map.GetSpawnPoints().ToList();
 				foreach (var p in spawnPoints)
@@ -113,21 +148,82 @@ namespace OpenRA.Widgets
 
 					if ((pos - Viewport.LastMousePos).LengthSquared < 64)
 					{
-						OnTooltip(spawnPoints.IndexOf(p) + 1, pos);
+						TooltipSpawnIndex = spawnPoints.IndexOf(p) + 1;
+
+						// Legacy tooltip behavior
+						if (TooltipContainer == null)
+							OnTooltip(TooltipSpawnIndex, pos);
 					}
 				}
 			}
 		}
 
-		/// <summary>
-		/// Forces loading the preview into the map cache.
-		/// </summary>
-		public Bitmap LoadMapPreview()
-		{
-			var map = Map();
-			if( map == null ) return null;
+		// Async map preview generation bits
+		enum PreviewStatus { Invalid, Uncached, Generating, Cached }
+		static Thread previewLoaderThread;
+		static object syncRoot = new object();
+		static Queue<string> cacheUids = new Queue<string>();
+		static readonly Dictionary<string, Bitmap> Previews = new Dictionary<string, Bitmap>();
 
-			return PreviewCache[map];
+		void LoadAsyncInternal()
+		{
+			for (;;)
+			{
+				string uid;
+				lock (syncRoot)
+				{
+					if (cacheUids.Count == 0)
+						break;
+					uid = cacheUids.Peek();
+				}
+
+				var bitmap = Minimap.RenderMapPreview(Game.modData.AvailableMaps[uid]);
+				lock (syncRoot)
+				{
+					// TODO: We should add previews to a sheet here (with multiple previews per sheet)
+					Previews.Add(uid, bitmap);
+					cacheUids.Dequeue();
+				}
+
+				// Yuck... But this helps the UI Jank when opening the map selector significantly.
+				Thread.Sleep(50);
+			}
 		}
+
+		void GeneratePreview()
+		{
+			var m = Map();
+			if (m == null)
+				return;
+
+			var status = Status(m);
+			if (status == PreviewStatus.Uncached)
+				lock (syncRoot)
+					cacheUids.Enqueue(m.Uid);
+
+			if (previewLoaderThread == null || !previewLoaderThread.IsAlive)
+			{
+				previewLoaderThread = new Thread(LoadAsyncInternal);
+				previewLoaderThread.Start();
+			}
+		}
+
+		static PreviewStatus Status(Map m)
+		{
+			if (m == null)
+				return PreviewStatus.Invalid;
+
+			lock (syncRoot)
+			{
+				if (Previews.ContainsKey(m.Uid))
+					return PreviewStatus.Cached;
+
+				if (cacheUids.Contains(m.Uid))
+					return PreviewStatus.Generating;
+			}
+			return PreviewStatus.Uncached;
+		}
+
+		public bool Loaded { get { return Status(Map()) == PreviewStatus.Cached; } }
 	}
 }
diff --git a/OpenRA.Game/Widgets/ScrollItemWidget.cs b/OpenRA.Game/Widgets/ScrollItemWidget.cs
index d5deb1ef09..99de7c2dc3 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Game/Widgets/ScrollItemWidget.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Game/Widgets/ScrollItemWidget.cs
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ namespace OpenRA.Widgets
 {
 	public class ScrollItemWidget : ButtonWidget
 	{
+		public string ItemKey;
+
 		public ScrollItemWidget()
 			: base()
 		{
@@ -28,6 +30,7 @@ namespace OpenRA.Widgets
 			IsVisible = () => false;
 			VisualHeight = 0;
 			IgnoreChildMouseOver = true;
+			Key = other.Key;
 		}
 
 		public Func<bool> IsSelected = () => false;
@@ -59,5 +62,12 @@ namespace OpenRA.Widgets
 			w.OnDoubleClick = onDoubleClick;
 			return w;
 		}
+
+		public static ScrollItemWidget Setup(string key, ScrollItemWidget template, Func<bool> isSelected, Action onClick)
+		{
+			var w = Setup(template, isSelected, onClick);
+			w.ItemKey = key;
+			return w;
+		}
 	}
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/OpenRA.Game/Widgets/ScrollPanelWidget.cs b/OpenRA.Game/Widgets/ScrollPanelWidget.cs
index 185a41cfed..b227547bb2 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Game/Widgets/ScrollPanelWidget.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Game/Widgets/ScrollPanelWidget.cs
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 
 using System;
 using System.Drawing;
+using System.Linq;
 using OpenRA.Graphics;
 
 namespace OpenRA.Widgets
@@ -143,6 +144,25 @@ namespace OpenRA.Widgets
 			ListOffset = 0;
 		}
 
+		public void ScrollToItem(string itemKey)
+		{
+			var item = Children.FirstOrDefault(c =>
+			{
+				var si = c as ScrollItemWidget;
+				return si != null && si.ItemKey == itemKey;
+			});
+
+			if (item == null)
+				return;
+
+			// Scroll the item to be visible
+			if (item.Bounds.Top + ListOffset < 0)
+				ListOffset = ItemSpacing - item.Bounds.Top;
+
+			if (item.Bounds.Bottom + ListOffset > RenderBounds.Height)
+				ListOffset = RenderBounds.Height - item.Bounds.Bottom - ItemSpacing;
+		}
+
 		public override void Tick ()
 		{
 			if (UpPressed) Scroll(1);
diff --git a/OpenRA.Mods.Cnc/Widgets/TooltipContainerWidget.cs b/OpenRA.Game/Widgets/TooltipContainerWidget.cs
similarity index 96%
rename from OpenRA.Mods.Cnc/Widgets/TooltipContainerWidget.cs
rename to OpenRA.Game/Widgets/TooltipContainerWidget.cs
index 1901bfc5c8..5d0827a425 100755
--- a/OpenRA.Mods.Cnc/Widgets/TooltipContainerWidget.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Game/Widgets/TooltipContainerWidget.cs
@@ -13,11 +13,10 @@ using System.Drawing;
 using System.Linq;
 using OpenRA.FileFormats;
 using OpenRA.Graphics;
-using OpenRA.Mods.RA;
 using OpenRA.Widgets;
 using System;
 
-namespace OpenRA.Mods.Cnc.Widgets
+namespace OpenRA.Widgets
 {
 	public class TooltipContainerWidget : Widget
 	{
diff --git a/OpenRA.Game/World.cs b/OpenRA.Game/World.cs
index 833fc29427..58ad20884b 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Game/World.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Game/World.cs
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ using System.Collections.Generic;
 using System.Linq;
 using OpenRA.Effects;
 using OpenRA.FileFormats;
+using OpenRA.Graphics;
 using OpenRA.Network;
 using OpenRA.Orders;
 using OpenRA.Support;
@@ -192,7 +193,12 @@ namespace OpenRA
 
 			while (frameEndActions.Count != 0)
 				frameEndActions.Dequeue()(this);
-			
+		}
+
+		// For things that want to update their render state once per tick, ignoring pause state
+		public void TickRender(WorldRenderer wr)
+		{
+			ActorsWithTrait<ITickRender>().Do(x => x.Trait.TickRender(wr, x.Actor));
 		}
 
 		public IEnumerable<Actor> Actors { get { return actors; } }
diff --git a/OpenRA.Mods.Cnc/CncMenuPaletteEffect.cs b/OpenRA.Mods.Cnc/CncMenuPaletteEffect.cs
index a351b80128..71ee66a307 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Mods.Cnc/CncMenuPaletteEffect.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Mods.Cnc/CncMenuPaletteEffect.cs
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 using System.Collections.Generic;
 using System.Drawing;
 using OpenRA.FileFormats;
+using OpenRA.Graphics;
 using OpenRA.Traits;
 
 namespace OpenRA.Mods.Cnc
@@ -22,7 +23,7 @@ namespace OpenRA.Mods.Cnc
 		public object Create(ActorInitializer init) { return new CncMenuPaletteEffect(this); }
 	}
 
-	public class CncMenuPaletteEffect : IPaletteModifier, ITick
+	public class CncMenuPaletteEffect : IPaletteModifier, ITickRender
 	{
 		public enum EffectType { None, Black, Desaturated }
 		public readonly CncMenuPaletteEffectInfo Info;
@@ -40,7 +41,7 @@ namespace OpenRA.Mods.Cnc
 			to = type;
 		}
 
-		public void Tick(Actor self)
+		public void TickRender(WorldRenderer wr, Actor self)
 		{
 			if (remainingFrames > 0)
 				remainingFrames--;
diff --git a/OpenRA.Mods.Cnc/OpenRA.Mods.Cnc.csproj b/OpenRA.Mods.Cnc/OpenRA.Mods.Cnc.csproj
index 067b709c02..687c921db7 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Mods.Cnc/OpenRA.Mods.Cnc.csproj
+++ b/OpenRA.Mods.Cnc/OpenRA.Mods.Cnc.csproj
@@ -111,10 +111,10 @@
     <Compile Include="Widgets\ProductionTabsWidget.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Widgets\SupportPowersWidget.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Widgets\ToggleButtonWidget.cs" />
-    <Compile Include="Widgets\TooltipContainerWidget.cs" />
     <Compile Include="WithFire.cs" />
     <Compile Include="WithRoof.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Widgets\ResourceBarWidget.cs" />
+    <Compile Include="Widgets\Logic\SpawnSelectorTooltipLogic.cs" />
   </ItemGroup>
   <ItemGroup>
     <ProjectReference Include="..\OpenRA.FileFormats\OpenRA.FileFormats.csproj">
diff --git a/OpenRA.Mods.Cnc/Widgets/Logic/SpawnSelectorTooltipLogic.cs b/OpenRA.Mods.Cnc/Widgets/Logic/SpawnSelectorTooltipLogic.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6ad7f65538
--- /dev/null
+++ b/OpenRA.Mods.Cnc/Widgets/Logic/SpawnSelectorTooltipLogic.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+#region Copyright & License Information
+/*
+ * Copyright 2007-2013 The OpenRA Developers (see AUTHORS)
+ * This file is part of OpenRA, which is free software. It is made
+ * available to you under the terms of the GNU General Public License
+ * as published by the Free Software Foundation. For more information,
+ * see COPYING.
+ */
+#endregion
+
+using System;
+using System.Drawing;
+using System.Linq;
+using OpenRA.Widgets;
+using OpenRA.Network;
+
+namespace OpenRA.Mods.Cnc.Widgets.Logic
+{
+	public class SpawnSelectorTooltipLogic
+	{
+		[ObjectCreator.UseCtor]
+		public SpawnSelectorTooltipLogic(Widget widget, TooltipContainerWidget tooltipContainer, MapPreviewWidget preview)
+		{
+			widget.IsVisible = () => preview.TooltipSpawnIndex != -1;
+			var label = widget.Get<LabelWidget>("LABEL");
+			var flag = widget.Get<ImageWidget>("FLAG");
+			var team = widget.Get<LabelWidget>("TEAM");
+
+			var ownerFont = Game.Renderer.Fonts[label.Font];
+			var teamFont = Game.Renderer.Fonts[team.Font];
+			var cachedWidth = 0;
+			var labelText = "";
+			string playerCountry = null;
+			var playerTeam = -1;
+
+			tooltipContainer.BeforeRender = () =>
+			{
+				var client = preview.SpawnClients().Values.FirstOrDefault(c => c.SpawnPoint == preview.TooltipSpawnIndex);
+
+				var teamWidth = 0;
+				if (client == null)
+				{
+					labelText = "Available spawn";
+					playerCountry = null;
+					playerTeam = 0;
+					widget.Bounds.Height = 25;
+				}
+				else
+				{
+					labelText = client.Name;
+					playerCountry = client.Country;
+					playerTeam = client.Team;
+					widget.Bounds.Height = playerTeam > 0 ? 40 : 25;
+					teamWidth = teamFont.Measure(team.GetText()).X;
+				}
+
+				label.Bounds.X = playerCountry != null ? flag.Bounds.Right + 5 : 5;
+
+				var textWidth = ownerFont.Measure(labelText).X;
+				if (textWidth != cachedWidth)
+				{
+					label.Bounds.Width = textWidth;
+					widget.Bounds.Width = 2*label.Bounds.X + textWidth;
+				}
+
+				widget.Bounds.Width = Math.Max(teamWidth + 10, label.Bounds.Right + 5);
+				team.Bounds.Width = widget.Bounds.Width;
+			};
+
+			label.GetText = () => labelText;
+			flag.IsVisible = () => playerCountry != null;
+			flag.GetImageCollection = () => "flags";
+			flag.GetImageName = () => playerCountry;
+			team.GetText = () => "Team {0}".F(playerTeam);
+			team.IsVisible = () => playerTeam > 0;
+		}
+	}
+}
+
diff --git a/OpenRA.Mods.RA/Widgets/Logic/LobbyLogic.cs b/OpenRA.Mods.RA/Widgets/Logic/LobbyLogic.cs
index 618653d372..9b142f6986 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Mods.RA/Widgets/Logic/LobbyLogic.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Mods.RA/Widgets/Logic/LobbyLogic.cs
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ namespace OpenRA.Mods.RA.Widgets.Logic
 			mapPreview.Map = () => Map;
 			mapPreview.OnMouseDown = mi => LobbyUtils.SelectSpawnPoint( orderManager, mapPreview, Map, mi );
 			mapPreview.OnTooltip = (spawnPoint, pos) => LobbyUtils.ShowSpawnPointTooltip(orderManager, spawnPoint, pos);
-			mapPreview.SpawnColors = () => LobbyUtils.GetSpawnColors(orderManager, Map);
+			mapPreview.SpawnClients = () => LobbyUtils.GetSpawnClients(orderManager, Map);
 
 			var mapTitle = lobby.GetOrNull<LabelWidget>("MAP_TITLE");
 			if (mapTitle != null)
@@ -122,6 +122,20 @@ namespace OpenRA.Mods.RA.Widgets.Logic
 				mapTitle.GetText = () => Map.Title;
 			}
 
+			var mapType = lobby.GetOrNull<LabelWidget>("MAP_TYPE");
+			if (mapType != null)
+			{
+				mapType.IsVisible = () => Map != null;
+				mapType.GetText = () => Map.Type;
+			}
+
+			var mapAuthor = lobby.GetOrNull<LabelWidget>("MAP_AUTHOR");
+			if (mapAuthor != null)
+			{
+				mapAuthor.IsVisible = () => Map != null;
+				mapAuthor.GetText = () => "Created by {0}".F(Map.Author);
+			}
+
 			CountryNames = Rules.Info["world"].Traits.WithInterface<CountryInfo>()
 				.Where(c => c.Selectable)
 				.ToDictionary(a => a.Race, a => a.Name);
diff --git a/OpenRA.Mods.RA/Widgets/Logic/LobbyUtils.cs b/OpenRA.Mods.RA/Widgets/Logic/LobbyUtils.cs
index 58369cf830..fa04fad141 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Mods.RA/Widgets/Logic/LobbyUtils.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Mods.RA/Widgets/Logic/LobbyUtils.cs
@@ -150,14 +150,14 @@ namespace OpenRA.Mods.RA.Widgets.Logic
 			color.AttachPanel(colorChooser);
 		}
 
-		public static Dictionary<int2, Color> GetSpawnColors(OrderManager orderManager, Map map)
+		public static Dictionary<int2, Session.Client> GetSpawnClients(OrderManager orderManager, Map map)
 		{
 			var spawns = map.GetSpawnPoints();
 			return orderManager.LobbyInfo.Clients
-				.Where( c => c.SpawnPoint != 0)
-				.ToDictionary(
-					c => spawns[c.SpawnPoint - 1],
-					c => c.ColorRamp.GetColor(0));
+				.Where(c => c.SpawnPoint != 0)
+					.ToDictionary(
+						c => spawns[c.SpawnPoint - 1],
+						c => c);
 		}
 
 		public static void SelectSpawnPoint(OrderManager orderManager, MapPreviewWidget mapPreview, Map map, MouseInput mi)
diff --git a/OpenRA.Mods.RA/Widgets/Logic/MapChooserLogic.cs b/OpenRA.Mods.RA/Widgets/Logic/MapChooserLogic.cs
index f9fedb2082..df448c1701 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Mods.RA/Widgets/Logic/MapChooserLogic.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Mods.RA/Widgets/Logic/MapChooserLogic.cs
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 #endregion
 
 using System;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
 using System.Linq;
 using System.Threading;
 using OpenRA.FileFormats;
@@ -19,10 +20,13 @@ namespace OpenRA.Mods.RA.Widgets.Logic
 	public class MapChooserLogic
 	{
 		Map map;
+
+		// May be a subset of available maps if a mode filter is active
+		Dictionary<string, Map> visibleMaps;
+
 		ScrollPanelWidget scrollpanel;
 		ScrollItemWidget itemTemplate;
 		string gameMode;
-		Thread mapLoaderThread;
 
 		[ObjectCreator.UseCtor]
 		internal MapChooserLogic(Widget widget, string initialMap, Action onExit, Action<Map> onSelect)
@@ -34,6 +38,7 @@ namespace OpenRA.Mods.RA.Widgets.Logic
 
 			scrollpanel = widget.Get<ScrollPanelWidget>("MAP_LIST");
 			scrollpanel.ScrollVelocity = 40f;
+			scrollpanel.Layout = new GridLayout(scrollpanel);
 
 			itemTemplate = scrollpanel.Get<ScrollItemWidget>("MAP_TEMPLATE");
 
@@ -55,7 +60,7 @@ namespace OpenRA.Mods.RA.Widgets.Logic
 				{
 					var item = ScrollItemWidget.Setup(template,
 						() => gameMode == ii.First,
-						() => { gameMode = ii.First; EnumerateMapsAsync(); });
+						() => { gameMode = ii.First; EnumerateMaps(); });
 					item.Get<LabelWidget>("LABEL").GetText = () => showItem(ii);
 					return item;
 				};
@@ -66,34 +71,34 @@ namespace OpenRA.Mods.RA.Widgets.Logic
 				gameModeDropdown.GetText = () => showItem(gameModes.First(m => m.First == gameMode));
 			}
 
-			EnumerateMapsAsync();
-		}
+			var randomMapButton = widget.GetOrNull<ButtonWidget>("RANDOMMAP_BUTTON");
+			if (randomMapButton != null)
+			{
+				randomMapButton.OnClick = () =>
+				{
+					var kv = visibleMaps.Random(Game.CosmeticRandom);
+					map = kv.Value;
+					scrollpanel.ScrollToItem(kv.Key);
+				};
+				randomMapButton.IsDisabled = () => visibleMaps == null || visibleMaps.Count == 0;
+			}
 
-		void EnumerateMapsAsync()
-		{
-			if (mapLoaderThread != null && mapLoaderThread.IsAlive) 
-				mapLoaderThread.Abort(); // violent, but should be fine since we are not doing anything sensitive in this thread
-
-			mapLoaderThread = new Thread(EnumerateMaps);
-			mapLoaderThread.Start();
+			EnumerateMaps();
 		}
 
 		void EnumerateMaps()
 		{
-			Game.RunAfterTick(() => scrollpanel.RemoveChildren()); // queue removal in case another thread added any items to the game queue
-			scrollpanel.Layout = new GridLayout(scrollpanel);
-			scrollpanel.ScrollToTop();
-
 			var maps = Game.modData.AvailableMaps
 				.Where(kv => kv.Value.Selectable)
 				.Where(kv => kv.Value.Type == gameMode || gameMode == null)
 				.OrderBy(kv => kv.Value.PlayerCount)
 				.ThenBy(kv => kv.Value.Title);
 
+			scrollpanel.RemoveChildren();
 			foreach (var kv in maps)
 			{
 				var m = kv.Value;
-				var item = ScrollItemWidget.Setup(itemTemplate, () => m == map, () => map = m);
+				var item = ScrollItemWidget.Setup(kv.Key, itemTemplate, () => m == map, () => map = m);
 
 				var titleLabel = item.Get<LabelWidget>("TITLE");
 				titleLabel.GetText = () => m.Title;
@@ -102,17 +107,21 @@ namespace OpenRA.Mods.RA.Widgets.Logic
 				previewWidget.IgnoreMouseOver = true;
 				previewWidget.IgnoreMouseInput = true;
 				previewWidget.Map = () => m;
-				previewWidget.LoadMapPreview();
+				previewWidget.IsVisible = () => previewWidget.RenderBounds.IntersectsWith(scrollpanel.RenderBounds);
 
-				var detailsWidget = item.Get<LabelWidget>("DETAILS");
+				var previewLoadingWidget = item.GetOrNull<BackgroundWidget>("PREVIEW_PLACEHOLDER");
+				if (previewLoadingWidget != null)
+					previewLoadingWidget.IsVisible = () => !previewWidget.Loaded;
+
+				var detailsWidget = item.GetOrNull<LabelWidget>("DETAILS");
 				if (detailsWidget != null)
-					detailsWidget.GetText = () => "{0} ({1})".F(m.Type, m.PlayerCount);
+					detailsWidget.GetText = () => "{0} ({1} players)".F(m.Type, m.PlayerCount);
 
-				var authorWidget = item.Get<LabelWidget>("AUTHOR");
+				var authorWidget = item.GetOrNull<LabelWidget>("AUTHOR");
 				if (authorWidget != null)
-					authorWidget.GetText = () => m.Author;
+					authorWidget.GetText = () => "Created by {0}".F(m.Author);
 
-				var sizeWidget = item.Get<LabelWidget>("SIZE");
+				var sizeWidget = item.GetOrNull<LabelWidget>("SIZE");
 				if (sizeWidget != null)
 				{
 					var size = m.Bounds.Width + "x" + m.Bounds.Height;
@@ -124,8 +133,12 @@ namespace OpenRA.Mods.RA.Widgets.Logic
 					sizeWidget.GetText = () => size;
 				}
 
-				Game.RunAfterTick(() => scrollpanel.AddChild(item));
+				scrollpanel.AddChild(item);
 			}
+
+			visibleMaps = maps.ToDictionary(kv => kv.Key, kv => kv.Value);
+			if (visibleMaps.ContainsValue(map))
+				scrollpanel.ScrollToItem(visibleMaps.First(m => m.Value == map).Key);
 		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/mods/cnc/chrome/lobby.yaml b/mods/cnc/chrome/lobby.yaml
index 4a1d70e709..a040f5f7b7 100644
--- a/mods/cnc/chrome/lobby.yaml
+++ b/mods/cnc/chrome/lobby.yaml
@@ -32,13 +32,28 @@ Container@SERVER_LOBBY:
 							Y:1
 							Width:192
 							Height:192
+							TooltipContainer:TOOLTIP_CONTAINER
 				Label@MAP_TITLE:
 					X:PARENT_RIGHT-15-WIDTH
-					Y:225
+					Y:227
 					Width:194
 					Height:25
 					Font:Bold
 					Align:Center
+				Label@MAP_TYPE:
+					X:PARENT_RIGHT-15-WIDTH
+					Y:242
+					Width:194
+					Height:25
+					Font:TinyBold
+					Align:Center
+				Label@MAP_AUTHOR:
+					X:PARENT_RIGHT-15-WIDTH
+					Y:255
+					Width:194
+					Height:25
+					Font:Tiny
+					Align:Center
 				ScrollPanel@PLAYERS:
 					X:15
 					Y:30
@@ -329,13 +344,13 @@ Container@SERVER_LOBBY:
 							Font:Bold
 				Checkbox@ALLOWCHEATS_CHECKBOX:
 					X:15
-					Y:255
+					Y:257
 					Width:130
 					Height:20
 					Text: Allow Cheats
 				Checkbox@CRATES_CHECKBOX:
 					X:160
-					Y:255
+					Y:257
 					Width:80
 					Height:20
 					Text: Crates
@@ -347,13 +362,6 @@ Container@SERVER_LOBBY:
 					Font:Bold
 					Visible:false
 					Text:Assign
-				Button@RANDOMMAP_BUTTON:
-					X:PARENT_RIGHT-120-15-40
-					Y:255
-					Width:120
-					Height:25
-					Text:Random Map
-					Font:Bold
 				ScrollPanel@CHAT_DISPLAY:
 					X:15
 					Y:285
@@ -396,6 +404,7 @@ Container@SERVER_LOBBY:
 							Height:25
 							Align:Right
 							Text:Chat:
+		TooltipContainer@TOOLTIP_CONTAINER:
 		Button@DISCONNECT_BUTTON:
 			X:0
 			Y:499
diff --git a/mods/cnc/chrome/mapchooser.yaml b/mods/cnc/chrome/mapchooser.yaml
index e27de9ce1d..c78eb97746 100644
--- a/mods/cnc/chrome/mapchooser.yaml
+++ b/mods/cnc/chrome/mapchooser.yaml
@@ -6,62 +6,78 @@ Container@MAPCHOOSER_PANEL:
 	Height:535
 	Children:
 		Label@TITLE:
-			Width:790
+			Width:PARENT_RIGHT
 			Y:0-25
 			Font:BigBold
 			Contrast:true
 			Align:Center
 			Text: Select Map
 		Background@bg:
-			Width:790
+			Width:PARENT_RIGHT
 			Height:500
 			Background:panel-black
 			Children:
+				Label@GAMEMODE_DESC:
+					X:PARENT_RIGHT - WIDTH - 220
+					Y:10
+					Width:200
+					Height:25
+					Font: Bold
+					Align: Right
+					Text:Filter:
+				DropDownButton@GAMEMODE_FILTER:
+					X:PARENT_RIGHT - WIDTH - 15
+					Y:10
+					Width:200
+					Height:25
 				ScrollPanel@MAP_LIST:
 					X:15
-					Y:30
+					Y:45
 					Width:PARENT_RIGHT - 30
-					Height:455
+					Height:440
 					Children:
 						ScrollItem@MAP_TEMPLATE:
-							Width:180
-							Height:208
+							Width:168
+							Height:217
 							X:2
 							Y:0
 							Visible:false
 							Children:
+								Background@PREVIEW_PLACEHOLDER:
+									X:(PARENT_RIGHT - WIDTH)/2
+									Y:4
+									Width:158
+									Height:158
+									Background:panel-black
+									ClickThrough: false
+								MapPreview@PREVIEW:
+									X:(PARENT_RIGHT - WIDTH)/2
+									Y:4
+									Width:158
+									Height:158
 								Label@TITLE:
 									X:2
-									Y:PARENT_BOTTOM-47
+									Y:PARENT_BOTTOM-48
 									Width:PARENT_RIGHT-4
-									Height:25
 									Align:Center
 								Label@DETAILS:
 									Width:PARENT_RIGHT-4
 									X:2
-									Y:PARENT_BOTTOM-35
+									Y:PARENT_BOTTOM-34
 									Align:Center
-									Height:25
 									Font:Tiny
 								Label@AUTHOR:
 									Width:PARENT_RIGHT-4
 									X:2
-									Y:PARENT_BOTTOM-26
+									Y:PARENT_BOTTOM-22
 									Align:Center
-									Height:25
 									Font:Tiny
 								Label@SIZE:
 									Width:PARENT_RIGHT-4
 									X:2
-									Y:PARENT_BOTTOM-17
+									Y:PARENT_BOTTOM-10
 									Align:Center
-									Height:25
 									Font:Tiny
-								MapPreview@PREVIEW:
-									X:(PARENT_RIGHT - WIDTH)/2
-									Y:4
-									Width:160
-									Height:160
 				Button@BUTTON_CANCEL:
 					Key:escape
 					X:0
@@ -69,9 +85,16 @@ Container@MAPCHOOSER_PANEL:
 					Width:140
 					Height:35
 					Text:Cancel
+				Button@RANDOMMAP_BUTTON:
+					Key:space
+					X:PARENT_RIGHT - 150 - WIDTH
+					Y:499
+					Width:140
+					Height:35
+					Text:Random
 				Button@BUTTON_OK:
 					Key:return
-					X:790 - WIDTH
+					X:PARENT_RIGHT - WIDTH
 					Y:499
 					Width:140
 					Height:35
diff --git a/mods/cnc/chrome/tooltips.yaml b/mods/cnc/chrome/tooltips.yaml
index 6860027c99..ed35e8ddb3 100644
--- a/mods/cnc/chrome/tooltips.yaml
+++ b/mods/cnc/chrome/tooltips.yaml
@@ -99,3 +99,23 @@ Background@SUPPORT_POWER_TOOLTIP:
 			Y:20
 			Font:TinyBold
 			VAlign:Top
+
+Background@SPAWN_TOOLTIP:
+	Logic:SpawnSelectorTooltipLogic
+	Background:panel-black
+	Width:141
+	Children:
+		Label@LABEL:
+			X:5
+			Height:23
+			Font:Bold
+		Image@FLAG:
+			X:5
+			Y:5
+			Width:32
+			Height:16
+		Label@TEAM:
+			Y:21
+			Height:15
+			Font:TinyBold
+			Align:center
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/mods/cnc/rules/infantry.yaml b/mods/cnc/rules/infantry.yaml
index de191604b1..fdda163d5f 100644
--- a/mods/cnc/rules/infantry.yaml
+++ b/mods/cnc/rules/infantry.yaml
@@ -230,5 +230,6 @@ PVICE:
 	DrawLineToTarget:
 	Selectable:
 		Voice: DinoVoice
+	SelectionDecorations:
 	ActorLostNotification:
 		Notification: unitlost.aud