diff --git a/Quake/host.c b/Quake/host.c
index 7d3e16e4..8481b09c 100644
--- a/Quake/host.c
+++ b/Quake/host.c
@@ -549,7 +549,7 @@ void Host_ClearMemory (void)
 /* host_hunklevel MUST be set at this point */
 	Hunk_FreeToLowMark (host_hunklevel);
 	cls.signon = 0;
-	if (sv.edicts) free(sv.edicts);	// ericw -- sv.edicts switched to use malloc()
+	free(sv.edicts); // ericw -- sv.edicts switched to use malloc()
 	memset (&sv, 0, sizeof(sv));
 	memset (&cl, 0, sizeof(cl));
 }
diff --git a/Quake/host_cmd.c b/Quake/host_cmd.c
index acd79604..fa367738 100644
--- a/Quake/host_cmd.c
+++ b/Quake/host_cmd.c
@@ -1226,16 +1226,17 @@ void Host_Loadgame_f (void)
 		else
 		{	// parse an edict
 			ent = EDICT_NUM(entnum);
+			#if 0 /* EDICT_NUM() checks this already */
+			if (entnum >= sv.max_edicts)
+				Host_Error ("Loadgame: no free edicts (max_edicts is %i)", sv.max_edicts);
+			#endif
 			if (entnum < sv.num_edicts) {
+				ent->free = false;
 				memset (&ent->v, 0, progs->entityfields * 4);
 			}
-			else if (entnum < sv.max_edicts) {
+			else {
 				memset (ent, 0, pr_edict_size);
 			}
-			else {
-				Host_Error ("Loadgame: no free edicts (max_edicts is %i)", sv.max_edicts);
-			}
-			ent->free = false;
 			ED_ParseEdict (start, ent);
 
 		// link it into the bsp tree
diff --git a/Quake/sv_main.c b/Quake/sv_main.c
index 431b12ca..401b43ad 100644
--- a/Quake/sv_main.c
+++ b/Quake/sv_main.c
@@ -87,6 +87,8 @@ void SV_Init (void)
 	extern	cvar_t	sv_aim;
 	extern	cvar_t	sv_altnoclip; //johnfitz
 
+	sv.edicts = NULL; // ericw -- sv.edicts switched to use malloc()
+
 	Cvar_RegisterVariable (&sv_maxvelocity);
 	Cvar_RegisterVariable (&sv_gravity);
 	Cvar_RegisterVariable (&sv_friction);