diff --git a/OpenRA.Game/Network/Connection.cs b/OpenRA.Game/Network/Connection.cs
index edf8ce1f71..3cc90f83d1 100755
--- a/OpenRA.Game/Network/Connection.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Game/Network/Connection.cs
@@ -30,7 +30,9 @@ namespace OpenRA.Network
 	{
 		int LocalClientId { get; }
 		ConnectionState ConnectionState { get; }
-		void Send( byte[] packet );
+		void Send( int frame, List<byte[]> orders );
+		void SendImmediate( List<byte[]> orders );
+		void SendSync( int frame, byte[] syncData );
 		void Receive( Action<int, byte[]> packetFn );
 	}
 
@@ -53,7 +55,33 @@ namespace OpenRA.Network
 			get { return ConnectionState.PreConnecting; }
 		}
 
-		public virtual void Send( byte[] packet )
+		public void Send( int frame, List<byte[]> orders )
+		{
+			var ms = new MemoryStream();
+			ms.Write( BitConverter.GetBytes( frame ) );
+			foreach( var o in orders )
+				ms.Write( o );
+			Send( ms.ToArray() );
+		}
+
+		public void SendImmediate( List<byte[]> orders )
+		{
+			var ms = new MemoryStream();
+			ms.Write( BitConverter.GetBytes( (int)0 ) );
+			foreach( var o in orders )
+				ms.Write( o );
+			Send( ms.ToArray() );
+		}
+
+		public void SendSync( int frame, byte[] syncData )
+		{
+			var ms = new MemoryStream();
+			ms.Write( BitConverter.GetBytes( frame ) );
+			ms.Write( syncData );
+			Send( ms.ToArray() );
+		}
+
+		protected virtual void Send( byte[] packet )
 		{
 			if( packet.Length == 0 )
 				throw new NotImplementedException();
@@ -129,7 +157,7 @@ namespace OpenRA.Network
 		public override int LocalClientId { get { return clientId; } }
 		public override ConnectionState ConnectionState { get { return connectionState; } }
 
-		public override void Send( byte[] packet )
+		protected override void Send( byte[] packet )
 		{
 			base.Send( packet );
 
diff --git a/OpenRA.Game/Network/OrderIO.cs b/OpenRA.Game/Network/OrderIO.cs
index d46ee764a3..efe11d5f9c 100755
--- a/OpenRA.Game/Network/OrderIO.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Game/Network/OrderIO.cs
@@ -22,22 +22,6 @@ namespace OpenRA.Network
 			s.Write(buf, 0, buf.Length);
 		}
 
-		public static void WriteFrameData(this Stream s, IEnumerable<Order> orders, int frameNumber)
-		{
-			var bytes = Serialize( orders, frameNumber );
-			s.Write( BitConverter.GetBytes( (int)bytes.Length ) );
-			s.Write( bytes );
-		}
-
-		public static byte[] Serialize( this IEnumerable<Order> orders, int frameNumber )
-		{
-			var ms = new MemoryStream();
-			ms.Write( BitConverter.GetBytes( frameNumber ) );
-			foreach( var o in orders.Select( o => o.Serialize() ) )
-				ms.Write( o );
-			return ms.ToArray();
-		}
-
 		public static List<Order> ToOrderList(this byte[] bytes, World world)
 		{
 			var ms = new MemoryStream(bytes, 4, bytes.Length - 4);
@@ -52,12 +36,11 @@ namespace OpenRA.Network
 			return ret;
 		}
 
-		public static byte[] SerializeSync( this List<int> sync, int frameNumber )
+		public static byte[] SerializeSync( this List<int> sync )
 		{
 			var ms = new MemoryStream();
 			using( var writer = new BinaryWriter( ms ) )
 			{
-				writer.Write( frameNumber );
 				writer.Write( (byte)0x65 );
 				foreach( var s in sync )
 					writer.Write( s );
diff --git a/OpenRA.Game/Network/OrderManager.cs b/OpenRA.Game/Network/OrderManager.cs
index 31758deaa1..08dcafbe21 100755
--- a/OpenRA.Game/Network/OrderManager.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Game/Network/OrderManager.cs
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ namespace OpenRA.Network
 
 			NetFrameNumber = 1;
 			for( int i = NetFrameNumber ; i <= FramesAhead ; i++ )
-				Connection.Send( new List<Order>().Serialize( i ) );
+				Connection.Send( i, new List<byte[]>() );
 		}
 
 		public OrderManager( string host, int port, IConnection conn )
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ namespace OpenRA.Network
 		{
 			var immediateOrders = localOrders.Where( o => o.IsImmediate ).ToList();
 			if( immediateOrders.Count != 0 )
-				Connection.Send( immediateOrders.Serialize( 0 ) );
+				Connection.SendImmediate( immediateOrders.Select( o => o.Serialize() ).ToList() );
 			localOrders.RemoveAll( o => o.IsImmediate );
 
 			var immediatePackets = new List<Pair<int, byte[]>>();
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ namespace OpenRA.Network
 			if( !IsReadyForNextFrame )
 				throw new InvalidOperationException();
 
-			Connection.Send( localOrders.Serialize( NetFrameNumber + FramesAhead ) );
+			Connection.Send( NetFrameNumber + FramesAhead, localOrders.Select( o => o.Serialize() ).ToList() );
 			localOrders.Clear();
 
 			var sync = new List<int>();
@@ -168,8 +168,8 @@ namespace OpenRA.Network
 				sync.Add( world.SyncHash() );
 			}
 
-			var ss = sync.SerializeSync( NetFrameNumber );
-			Connection.Send( ss );
+			var ss = sync.SerializeSync();
+			Connection.SendSync( NetFrameNumber, ss );
 
 			syncReport.UpdateSyncReport();
 
diff --git a/OpenRA.Game/Network/ReplayConnection.cs b/OpenRA.Game/Network/ReplayConnection.cs
index 277e834882..688b7d24e0 100755
--- a/OpenRA.Game/Network/ReplayConnection.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Game/Network/ReplayConnection.cs
@@ -26,10 +26,10 @@ namespace OpenRA.Network
 			get { return ConnectionState.Connected; }
 		}
 
-		public void Send( byte[] packet )
-		{
-			// do nothing; ignore locally generated orders
-		}
+		// do nothing; ignore locally generated orders
+		public void Send( int frame, List<byte[]> orders ) { }
+		public void SendImmediate( List<byte[]> orders ) { }
+		public void SendSync( int frame, byte[] syncData ) { }
 
 		public void Receive( Action<int, byte[]> packetFn )
 		{
@@ -63,10 +63,9 @@ namespace OpenRA.Network
 		public int LocalClientId { get { return inner.LocalClientId; } }
 		public ConnectionState ConnectionState { get { return inner.ConnectionState; } }
 
-		public void Send( byte[] packet )
-		{
-			inner.Send( packet );
-		}
+		public void Send( int frame, List<byte[]> orders ) { inner.Send( frame, orders ); }
+		public void SendImmediate( List<byte[]> orders ) { inner.SendImmediate( orders ); }
+		public void SendSync( int frame, byte[] syncData ) { inner.SendSync( frame, syncData ); }
 
 		public void Receive( Action<int, byte[]> packetFn )
 		{