diff --git a/src/p_setup.c b/src/p_setup.c
index 457732e50..216188827 100644
--- a/src/p_setup.c
+++ b/src/p_setup.c
@@ -2317,6 +2317,18 @@ void P_LoadThingsOnly(void)
 	// Search through all the thinkers.
 	mobj_t *mo;
 	thinker_t *think;
+	INT32 i, viewid = -1, centerid = -1; // for skyboxes
+
+	// check if these are any of the normal viewpoint/centerpoint mobjs in the level or not
+	if (skyboxmo[0] || skyboxmo[1])
+		for (i = 0; i < 16; i++)
+		{
+			if (skyboxmo[0] && skyboxmo[0] == skyboxviewpnts[i])
+				viewid = i; // save id just in case
+			if (skyboxmo[1] && skyboxmo[1] == skyboxcenterpnts[i])
+				centerid = i; // save id just in case
+		}
+
 
 	for (think = thinkercap.next; think != &thinkercap; think = think->next)
 	{
@@ -2334,6 +2346,10 @@ void P_LoadThingsOnly(void)
 	P_PrepareThings(lastloadedmaplumpnum + ML_THINGS);
 	P_LoadThings();
 
+
+	// restore skybox viewpoint/centerpoint if necessary, set them to defaults if we can't do that
+	skyboxmo[0] = skyboxviewpnts[(viewid >= 0) ? viewid : 0];
+	skyboxmo[1] = skyboxcenterpnts[(centerid >= 0) ? centerid : 0];
 	P_SpawnSecretItems(true);
 }
 
@@ -2616,8 +2632,7 @@ boolean P_SetupLevel(boolean skipprecip)
 
 	postimgtype = postimgtype2 = postimg_none;
 
-	if (mapheaderinfo[gamemap-1]->forcecharacter[0] != '\0'
-	&& atoi(mapheaderinfo[gamemap-1]->forcecharacter) != 255)
+	if (mapheaderinfo[gamemap-1]->forcecharacter[0] != '\0')
 		P_ForceCharacter(mapheaderinfo[gamemap-1]->forcecharacter);
 
 	// chasecam on in chaos, race, coop
@@ -2850,8 +2865,6 @@ boolean P_SetupLevel(boolean skipprecip)
 	if (loadprecip) //  ugly hack for P_NetUnArchiveMisc (and P_LoadNetGame)
 		P_SpawnPrecipitation();
 
-	globalweather = mapheaderinfo[gamemap-1]->weather;
-
 #ifdef HWRENDER // not win32 only 19990829 by Kin
 	if (rendermode != render_soft && rendermode != render_none)
 	{