diff --git a/src/hardware/hw_main.c b/src/hardware/hw_main.c
index 2a886a1c6..e208a91b6 100644
--- a/src/hardware/hw_main.c
+++ b/src/hardware/hw_main.c
@@ -5605,7 +5605,7 @@ void HWR_RenderPlayerView(INT32 viewnumber, player_t *player)
 // Can't have palette rendering if shaders are disabled.
 boolean HWR_ShouldUsePaletteRendering(void)
 {
-	return (cv_glpaletterendering.value && HWR_UseShader());
+	return (pMasterPalette != NULL && cv_glpaletterendering.value && HWR_UseShader());
 }
 
 // enable or disable palette rendering state depending on settings and availability
@@ -5722,7 +5722,7 @@ consvar_t cv_glbatching = CVAR_INIT ("gr_batching", "On", 0, CV_OnOff, NULL);
 
 static CV_PossibleValue_t glpalettedepth_cons_t[] = {{16, "16 bits"}, {24, "24 bits"}, {0, NULL}};
 
-consvar_t cv_glpaletterendering = CVAR_INIT ("gr_paletterendering", "Off", CV_SAVE|CV_CALL, CV_OnOff, CV_glpaletterendering_OnChange);
+consvar_t cv_glpaletterendering = CVAR_INIT ("gr_paletterendering", "On", CV_SAVE|CV_CALL, CV_OnOff, CV_glpaletterendering_OnChange);
 consvar_t cv_glpalettedepth = CVAR_INIT ("gr_palettedepth", "16 bits", CV_SAVE|CV_CALL, glpalettedepth_cons_t, CV_glpalettedepth_OnChange);
 
 #define ONLY_IF_GL_LOADED if (vid.glstate != VID_GL_LIBRARY_LOADED) return;
diff --git a/src/info.c b/src/info.c
index a138db8a4..715fe5d53 100644
--- a/src/info.c
+++ b/src/info.c
@@ -1784,8 +1784,8 @@ state_t states[NUMSTATES] =
 	{SPR_RING, FF_ANIMATE|FF_GLOBALANIM, -1, {NULL}, 23, 1, S_RING, 0}, // S_RING
 
 	// Blue Sphere for special stages
-	{SPR_SPHR, FF_FULLBRIGHT, -1, {NULL}, 0, 0, S_NULL, 0}, // S_BLUESPHERE
-	{SPR_SPHR, FF_FULLBRIGHT
+	{SPR_SPHR, FF_SEMIBRIGHT, -1, {NULL}, 0, 0, S_NULL, 0}, // S_BLUESPHERE
+	{SPR_SPHR, FF_SEMIBRIGHT
 #ifdef MANIASPHERES
 							|FF_ANIMATE|FF_RANDOMANIM
 #endif
@@ -1794,13 +1794,13 @@ state_t states[NUMSTATES] =
 
 	// Bomb Sphere
 	{SPR_SPHR, FF_FULLBRIGHT|3, 2, {NULL}, 0, 0, S_BOMBSPHERE2, 0}, // S_BOMBSPHERE1
-	{SPR_SPHR, FF_FULLBRIGHT|4, 1, {NULL}, 0, 0, S_BOMBSPHERE3, 0}, // S_BOMBSPHERE2
-	{SPR_SPHR, FF_FULLBRIGHT|5, 2, {NULL}, 0, 0, S_BOMBSPHERE4, 0}, // S_BOMBSPHERE3
-	{SPR_SPHR, FF_FULLBRIGHT|4, 1, {NULL}, 0, 0, S_BOMBSPHERE1, 0}, // S_BOMBSPHERE4
+	{SPR_SPHR, FF_SEMIBRIGHT|4, 1, {NULL}, 0, 0, S_BOMBSPHERE3, 0}, // S_BOMBSPHERE2
+	{SPR_SPHR, FF_SEMIBRIGHT|5, 2, {NULL}, 0, 0, S_BOMBSPHERE4, 0}, // S_BOMBSPHERE3
+	{SPR_SPHR, FF_SEMIBRIGHT|4, 1, {NULL}, 0, 0, S_BOMBSPHERE1, 0}, // S_BOMBSPHERE4
 
 	// NiGHTS Chip
-	{SPR_NCHP, FF_FULLBRIGHT|FF_ANIMATE,    -1, {NULL}, 15, 2, S_NULL, 0}, // S_NIGHTSCHIP
-	{SPR_NCHP, FF_FULLBRIGHT|FF_ANIMATE|16, -1, {NULL}, 15, 2, S_NULL, 0}, // S_NIGHTSCHIPBONUS
+	{SPR_NCHP, FF_SEMIBRIGHT|FF_ANIMATE,    -1, {NULL}, 15, 2, S_NULL, 0}, // S_NIGHTSCHIP
+	{SPR_NCHP, FF_SEMIBRIGHT|FF_ANIMATE|16, -1, {NULL}, 15, 2, S_NULL, 0}, // S_NIGHTSCHIPBONUS
 
 	// NiGHTS Star
 	{SPR_NSTR, FF_ANIMATE, -1, {NULL}, 14, 2, S_NULL, 0}, // S_NIGHTSSTAR
@@ -1858,9 +1858,9 @@ state_t states[NUMSTATES] =
 	{SPR_CEMG, FF_FULLBRIGHT|6, -1, {NULL}, 0, 0, S_NULL, 0}, // S_CEMG7
 
 	// Emerald hunt shards
-	{SPR_SHRD, 0, -1, {NULL}, 0, 0, S_NULL, 0}, // S_SHRD1
-	{SPR_SHRD, 1, -1, {NULL}, 0, 0, S_NULL, 0}, // S_SHRD2
-	{SPR_SHRD, 2, -1, {NULL}, 0, 0, S_NULL, 0}, // S_SHRD3
+	{SPR_SHRD, FF_SEMIBRIGHT,   -1, {NULL}, 0, 0, S_NULL, 0}, // S_SHRD1
+	{SPR_SHRD, FF_SEMIBRIGHT|1, -1, {NULL}, 0, 0, S_NULL, 0}, // S_SHRD2
+	{SPR_SHRD, FF_SEMIBRIGHT|2, -1, {NULL}, 0, 0, S_NULL, 0}, // S_SHRD3
 
 	// Bubble Source
 	{SPR_BBLS, 0, 8, {A_BubbleSpawn}, 2048, 0, S_BUBBLES2, 0}, // S_BUBBLES1
diff --git a/src/netcode/i_tcp.c b/src/netcode/i_tcp.c
index 4c3d58ee2..256d9992e 100644
--- a/src/netcode/i_tcp.c
+++ b/src/netcode/i_tcp.c
@@ -1152,11 +1152,7 @@ static SINT8 SOCK_NetMakeNodewPort(const char *address, const char *port)
 		// test ip address of server
 		for (i = 0; i < mysocketses; ++i)
 		{
-			/* sendto tests that there is a network to this
-				address */
-			if (runp->ai_addr->sa_family == myfamily[i] &&
-					sendto(mysockets[i], NULL, 0, 0,
-						runp->ai_addr, runp->ai_addrlen) == 0)
+			if (runp->ai_addr->sa_family == myfamily[i])
 			{
 				memcpy(&clientaddress[newnode], runp->ai_addr, runp->ai_addrlen);
 				break;
diff --git a/src/p_setup.c b/src/p_setup.c
index 2524803ab..39be19d54 100644
--- a/src/p_setup.c
+++ b/src/p_setup.c
@@ -2995,7 +2995,7 @@ static void P_LoadTextmap(void)
 	side_t     *sd;
 	mapthing_t *mt;
 
-	CONS_Alert(CONS_NOTICE, "UDMF support is still a work-in-progress; its specs and features are prone to change until it is fully implemented.\n");
+	//CONS_Alert(CONS_NOTICE, "UDMF support is still a work-in-progress; its specs and features are prone to change until it is fully implemented.\n");
 
 	/// Given the UDMF specs, some fields are given a default value.
 	/// If an element's field has a default value set, it is omitted
diff --git a/src/w_wad.c b/src/w_wad.c
index 4a1d44548..6964f24aa 100644
--- a/src/w_wad.c
+++ b/src/w_wad.c
@@ -307,12 +307,10 @@ static void W_LoadDehackedLumps(UINT16 wadnum, boolean mainfile)
   * \param resblock resulting MD5 checksum
   * \return 0 if MD5 checksum was made, and is at resblock, 1 if error was found
   */
+
+#ifndef NOMD5
 static INT32 W_MakeFileMD5(const char *filename, void *resblock)
 {
-#ifdef NOMD5
-	(void)filename;
-	memset(resblock, 0x00, 16);
-#else
 	FILE *fhandle;
 
 	if ((fhandle = fopen(filename, "rb")) != NULL)
@@ -329,9 +327,9 @@ static INT32 W_MakeFileMD5(const char *filename, void *resblock)
 		fclose(fhandle);
 		return 0;
 	}
-#endif
 	return 1;
 }
+#endif
 
 // Invalidates the cache of lump numbers. Call this whenever a wad is added.
 static void W_InvalidateLumpnumCache(void)