diff --git a/libs/video/renderer/gl/gl_draw.c b/libs/video/renderer/gl/gl_draw.c
index b29be3584..c05362d2c 100644
--- a/libs/video/renderer/gl/gl_draw.c
+++ b/libs/video/renderer/gl/gl_draw.c
@@ -77,11 +77,12 @@ typedef struct {
 
 byte	   *draw_chars;						// 8*8 graphic characters
 
-int			tVAsize;
-int		   *tVAindices;
-int			tVAcount;
-float	   *textVertices, *tV;
-float	   *textCoords, *tC;
+int         textUseVA;
+int         tVAsize;
+int        *tVAindices;
+int         tVAcount;
+float      *textVertices, *tV;
+float      *textCoords, *tC;
 
 qpic_t	   *draw_backtile;
 
@@ -146,35 +147,37 @@ Draw_InitText (void)
 {
 	int		i;
 
-	if (vaelements > 3) {
-		tVAsize = vaelements - (vaelements % 4);
-	} else if (vaelements >= 0) {
+	if (vaelements < 0) {
+		textUseVA = 0;
 		tVAsize = 2048;
-	} else
-		tVAsize = 0;
-
-	if (tVAsize) {
+		Sys_MaskPrintf (SYS_DEV, "Text: Vertex Array use disabled.\n");
+	} else {
+		textUseVA = 1;
+		if (vaelements > 3)
+			tVAsize = vaelements - (vaelements % 4);
+		else 
+			tVAsize = 2048;
 		Sys_MaskPrintf (SYS_DEV, "Text: %i maximum vertex elements.\n",
 						tVAsize);
+	}
 
-		if (textVertices)
-			free (textVertices);
-		textVertices = calloc (tVAsize, 2 * sizeof (float));
+	if (textVertices)
+		free (textVertices);
+	textVertices = calloc (tVAsize, 2 * sizeof (float));
 
-		if (textCoords)
-			free (textCoords);
-		textCoords = calloc (tVAsize, 2 * sizeof (float));
+	if (textCoords)
+		free (textCoords);
+	textCoords = calloc (tVAsize, 2 * sizeof (float));
 
+	if (textUseVA) {
 		qfglTexCoordPointer (2, GL_FLOAT, 0, textCoords);
 		qfglVertexPointer (2, GL_FLOAT, 0, textVertices);
-		if (tVAindices)
-			free (tVAindices);
-		tVAindices = (int *) calloc (tVAsize, sizeof (int));
-		for (i = 0; i < tVAsize; i++)
-			tVAindices[i] = i;
-	} else {
-		Sys_MaskPrintf (SYS_DEV, "Text: Vertex Array use disabled.\n");
 	}
+	if (tVAindices)
+		free (tVAindices);
+	tVAindices = (int *) calloc (tVAsize, sizeof (int));
+	for (i = 0; i < tVAsize; i++)
+		tVAindices[i] = i;
 }
 
 VISIBLE qpic_t *
@@ -424,7 +427,22 @@ static inline void
 flush_text (void)
 {
 	qfglBindTexture (GL_TEXTURE_2D, char_texture);
-	qfglDrawElements (GL_QUADS, tVAcount, GL_UNSIGNED_INT, tVAindices);
+	if (textUseVA) {
+		qfglDrawElements (GL_QUADS, tVAcount, GL_UNSIGNED_INT, tVAindices);
+	} else {
+		float      *v = textVertices;
+		float      *c = textCoords;
+		int         i;
+
+		qfglBegin (GL_QUADS);
+		for (i = 0; i < tVAcount; i++) {
+			qfglTexCoord2fv (c);
+			qfglVertex2fv (v);
+			c += 2;
+			v += 2;
+		}
+		qfglEnd ();
+	}
 	tVAcount = 0;
 	tV = textVertices;
 	tC = textCoords;
diff --git a/libs/video/renderer/gl/gl_dyn_part.c b/libs/video/renderer/gl/gl_dyn_part.c
index 52742cb0a..138ede815 100644
--- a/libs/video/renderer/gl/gl_dyn_part.c
+++ b/libs/video/renderer/gl/gl_dyn_part.c
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ int		ramp1[8] = { 0x6f, 0x6d, 0x6b, 0x69, 0x67, 0x65, 0x63, 0x61 };
 int		ramp2[8] = { 0x6f, 0x6e, 0x6d, 0x6c, 0x6b, 0x6a, 0x68, 0x66 };
 int		ramp3[8] = { 0x6d, 0x6b, 0x06, 0x05, 0x04, 0x03, 0x02, 0x01 };
 
+int						partUseVA;
 int						pVAsize;
 int					   *pVAindices;
 varray_t2f_c4ub_v3f_t  *particleVertexArray;
@@ -153,33 +154,34 @@ R_InitParticles (void)
 	int		i;
 
 	if (r_maxparticles && r_init) {
-		if (vaelements > 3)
-			pVAsize = min ((unsigned int) (vaelements - (vaelements % 4)),
-						   r_maxparticles * 4);
-		else if (vaelements >= 0)
+		if (vaelements) {
+			partUseVA = 0;
 			pVAsize = r_maxparticles * 4;
-		else
-			pVAsize = 0;
-		if (pVAsize) {
+			Sys_MaskPrintf (SYS_DEV,
+							"Particles: Vertex Array use disabled.\n");
+		} else {
+			if (vaelements > 3)
+				pVAsize = min ((unsigned int) (vaelements - (vaelements % 4)),
+							   r_maxparticles * 4);
+			else if (vaelements >= 0)
+				pVAsize = r_maxparticles * 4;
 			Sys_MaskPrintf (SYS_DEV,
 							"Particles: %i maximum vertex elements.\n",
 							pVAsize);
+		}
+		if (particleVertexArray)
+			free (particleVertexArray);
+		particleVertexArray = (varray_t2f_c4ub_v3f_t *)
+			calloc (pVAsize, sizeof (varray_t2f_c4ub_v3f_t));
 
-			if (particleVertexArray)
-				free (particleVertexArray);
-			particleVertexArray = (varray_t2f_c4ub_v3f_t *)
-				calloc (pVAsize, sizeof (varray_t2f_c4ub_v3f_t));
+		if (partUseVA)
 			qfglInterleavedArrays (GL_T2F_C4UB_V3F, 0, particleVertexArray);
 
-			if (pVAindices)
-				free (pVAindices);
-			pVAindices = (int *) calloc (pVAsize, sizeof (int));
-			for (i = 0; i < pVAsize; i++)
-				pVAindices[i] = i;
-		} else {
-			Sys_MaskPrintf (SYS_DEV,
-							"Particles: Vertex Array use disabled.\n");
-		}
+		if (pVAindices)
+			free (pVAindices);
+		pVAindices = (int *) calloc (pVAsize, sizeof (int));
+		for (i = 0; i < pVAsize; i++)
+			pVAindices[i] = i;
 	} else {
 		if (particleVertexArray) {
 			free (particleVertexArray);
@@ -1646,6 +1648,7 @@ R_DrawParticles (void)
 			VA += 4;
 			vacount += 4;
 			if (vacount + 4 > pVAsize) {
+				// never reached if partUseVA is false
 				qfglDrawElements (GL_QUADS, vacount, GL_UNSIGNED_INT,
 								  pVAindices);
 				vacount = 0;
@@ -1664,8 +1667,22 @@ R_DrawParticles (void)
 			activeparticles++;
 		}
 	}
-	if (vacount)
-		qfglDrawElements (GL_QUADS, vacount, GL_UNSIGNED_INT, pVAindices);
+	if (vacount) {
+		if (partUseVA) {
+			qfglDrawElements (GL_QUADS, vacount, GL_UNSIGNED_INT, pVAindices);
+		} else {
+			varray_t2f_c4ub_v3f_t *va = particleVertexArray;
+			int         i;
+
+			qfglBegin (GL_QUADS);
+			for (i = 0; i < vacount; i++, va++) {
+				qfglTexCoord2fv (va->texcoord);
+				qfglColor4ubv (va->color);
+				qfglVertex3fv (va->vertex);
+			}
+			qfglEnd ();
+		}
+	}
 
 	k = 0;
 	while (maxparticle >= activeparticles) {