diff --git a/OpenRA.Game/Graphics/Sheet.cs b/OpenRA.Game/Graphics/Sheet.cs
index b6a6c0a764..d2ecc2418b 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Game/Graphics/Sheet.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Game/Graphics/Sheet.cs
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ namespace OpenRA.Graphics
 			Size = size;
 		}
 
-		internal Sheet(string filename)
+		public Sheet(string filename)
 		{
 			bitmap = (Bitmap)Image.FromStream(FileSystem.Open(filename));
 			Size = bitmap.Size;
diff --git a/OpenRA.Game/ModData.cs b/OpenRA.Game/ModData.cs
index ae3fab2980..54b18f2a4f 100755
--- a/OpenRA.Game/ModData.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Game/ModData.cs
@@ -29,14 +29,13 @@ namespace OpenRA
 		public ModData( params string[] mods )
 		{
 			Manifest = new Manifest( mods );
-			FileSystem.LoadFromManifest( Manifest );
-			ChromeProvider.Initialize( Manifest.Chrome );
-			
 			ObjectCreator = new ObjectCreator( Manifest );
-
 			LoadScreen = ObjectCreator.CreateObject<ILoadScreen>(Manifest.LoadScreen);
+			LoadScreen.Init();
 			LoadScreen.Display();
 			
+			FileSystem.LoadFromManifest( Manifest );
+			ChromeProvider.Initialize( Manifest.Chrome );
 			SheetBuilder = new SheetBuilder( TextureChannel.Red );
 			CursorSheetBuilder = new CursorSheetBuilder( this );
 			AvailableMaps = FindMaps( mods );
@@ -79,5 +78,5 @@ namespace OpenRA
 		}
 	}
 	
-	public interface ILoadScreen { void Display(); }
+	public interface ILoadScreen { void Display(); void Init(); }
 }
diff --git a/OpenRA.Mods.RA/NullLoadScreen.cs b/OpenRA.Mods.RA/NullLoadScreen.cs
index e49a0d8f78..ae082585aa 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Mods.RA/NullLoadScreen.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Mods.RA/NullLoadScreen.cs
@@ -12,11 +12,13 @@ namespace OpenRA.Mods.RA
 {
 	public class NullLoadScreen : ILoadScreen
 	{
+		public void Init() {}
 		public void Display()
 		{
 			if (Game.Renderer == null)
 				return;
 			
+			// Draw a black screen
 			Game.Renderer.BeginFrame(float2.Zero);
 			Game.Renderer.EndFrame();
 		}
diff --git a/OpenRA.Mods.RA/RALoadScreen.cs b/OpenRA.Mods.RA/RALoadScreen.cs
index 5a49403813..2d48d12ca4 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Mods.RA/RALoadScreen.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Mods.RA/RALoadScreen.cs
@@ -19,16 +19,38 @@ namespace OpenRA.Mods.RA
 {
 	public class RALoadScreen : ILoadScreen
 	{	
-		static string[] loadComments = new[] {	"Filling Crates...", "Charging Capacitors...", "Reticulating Splines...",
+		static string[] Comments = new[] {	"Filling Crates...", "Charging Capacitors...", "Reticulating Splines...",
 												"Planting Trees...", "Building Bridges...", "Aging Empires...",
 												"Compiling EVA...", "Constructing Pylons...", "Activating Skynet...",
 												"Splitting Atoms..."
 		};
 		
-		static Stopwatch lastLoadScreen = new Stopwatch();
+		Stopwatch lastLoadScreen = new Stopwatch();
+		Rectangle StripeRect;
+		Sprite Stripe, Logo;
+		float2 LogoPos;
+		
+		Renderer r;
+		SpriteFont Font;
+		public void Init()
+		{
+			// Avoid standard loading mechanisms so we
+			// can display loadscreen as early as possible
+			r = Game.Renderer;
+			if (r == null) return;
+			Font = r.BoldFont;
+			
+			var s = new Sheet("mods/ra/loadscreen.png");
+			Logo = new Sprite(s, new Rectangle(0,0,256,256), TextureChannel.Alpha);
+			Stripe = new Sprite(s, new Rectangle(256,0,256,256), TextureChannel.Alpha);
+			StripeRect = new Rectangle(0, Renderer.Resolution.Height/2 - 128, Renderer.Resolution.Width, 256);
+			LogoPos =  new float2(Renderer.Resolution.Width/2 - 128, Renderer.Resolution.Height/2 - 128);
+		}
+
+		
 		public void Display()
 		{
-			if (Game.Renderer == null)
+			if (r == null)
 				return;
 			
 			// Update text at most every 0.5 seconds
@@ -36,22 +58,13 @@ namespace OpenRA.Mods.RA
 				return;
 			
 			lastLoadScreen.Reset();
+			var text = Comments.Random(Game.CosmeticRandom);
+			var textSize = Font.Measure(text);
 			
-			var r = Game.Renderer;
-			var font = r.BoldFont;
 			r.BeginFrame(float2.Zero);
-			
-			WidgetUtils.FillRectWithSprite(new Rectangle(0, Renderer.Resolution.Height/2 - 64, Renderer.Resolution.Width, 128), ChromeProvider.GetImage("loadscreen", "stripe"));
-			
-			var logo = ChromeProvider.GetImage("loadscreen","logo");
-			var logoPos =  new float2((Renderer.Resolution.Width - logo.size.X)/2,(Renderer.Resolution.Height - logo.size.Y)/2);
-			r.RgbaSpriteRenderer.DrawSprite(logo, logoPos);
-			
-			var text = loadComments.Random(Game.CosmeticRandom);
-			var textSize = font.Measure(text);
-			
-			font.DrawText(text, new float2(Renderer.Resolution.Width - textSize.X - 20, Renderer.Resolution.Height - textSize.Y - 20), Color.White);
-			
+			WidgetUtils.FillRectWithSprite(StripeRect, Stripe);			
+			r.RgbaSpriteRenderer.DrawSprite(Logo, LogoPos);
+			Font.DrawText(text, new float2(Renderer.Resolution.Width - textSize.X - 20, Renderer.Resolution.Height - textSize.Y - 20), Color.White);
 			r.RgbaSpriteRenderer.Flush();
 			r.EndFrame();
 		}
diff --git a/mods/ra/chrome.xml b/mods/ra/chrome.xml
index ce0e659fd0..1b74499780 100644
--- a/mods/ra/chrome.xml
+++ b/mods/ra/chrome.xml
@@ -208,8 +208,4 @@
 	<collection name="checkbox" src="buttons.png">
 		<image name="checked" x="0" y="112" width="16" height="16" />
 	</collection>
-	<collection name="loadscreen" src="dialog.png">
-		<image name="stripe" x="512" y="371" width="128" height="128" />
-		<image name="logo" x="544" y="128" width="253" height="240" />
-	</collection>
 </chrome>
diff --git a/mods/ra/dialog.png b/mods/ra/dialog.png
index 77b83b1e51..b7047caefa 100644
Binary files a/mods/ra/dialog.png and b/mods/ra/dialog.png differ
diff --git a/mods/ra/loadscreen.png b/mods/ra/loadscreen.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..699b07ac28
Binary files /dev/null and b/mods/ra/loadscreen.png differ