diff --git a/src/console.c b/src/console.c
index 025bc1c1..3fa9b8a9 100644
--- a/src/console.c
+++ b/src/console.c
@@ -97,6 +97,7 @@ static void CON_InputInit(void);
 static void CON_RecalcSize(void);
 
 static void CONS_hudlines_Change(void);
+static void CONS_backcolor_Change(void);
 static void CON_DrawBackpic(patch_t *pic, INT32 startx, INT32 destwidth);
 //static void CON_DrawBackpic2(pic_t *pic, INT32 startx, INT32 destwidth);
 
@@ -129,10 +130,11 @@ static CV_PossibleValue_t backpic_cons_t[] = {{0, "translucent"}, {1, "picture"}
 // whether to use console background picture, or translucent mode
 static consvar_t cons_backpic = {"con_backpic", "translucent", CV_SAVE, backpic_cons_t, NULL, 0, NULL, NULL, 0, 0, NULL};
 
-static CV_PossibleValue_t backcolor_cons_t[] = {{0, "White"}, {1, "Orange"},
-												{2, "Blue"}, {3, "Green"}, {4, "Gray"},
-												{5, "Red"}, {0, NULL}};
-consvar_t cons_backcolor = {"con_backcolor", "3", CV_SAVE, backcolor_cons_t, NULL, 0, NULL, NULL, 0, 0, NULL};
+static CV_PossibleValue_t backcolor_cons_t[] = {{0, "White"}, 	{1, "Gray"},	{2, "Brown"},
+												{3, "Red"},		{4, "Orange"},	{5, "Yellow"},
+												{6, "Green"},	{7, "Blue"},	{8,	"Cyan"},
+												{0, NULL}};
+consvar_t cons_backcolor = {"con_backcolor", "Green", CV_CALL|CV_SAVE, backcolor_cons_t, CONS_backcolor_Change, 0, NULL, NULL, 0, 0, NULL};
 
 static void CON_Print(char *msg);
 
@@ -219,8 +221,9 @@ static void CONS_Bind_f(void)
 //                          CONSOLE SETUP
 //======================================================================
 
-// Prepare a colormap for GREEN ONLY translucency over background
-//
+// Font colormap colors
+// TODO: This could probably be improved somehow...
+// These colormaps are 99% identical, with just a few changed bytes
 UINT8 *yellowmap;
 UINT8 *purplemap;
 UINT8 *lgreenmap;
@@ -229,44 +232,49 @@ UINT8 *graymap;
 UINT8 *redmap;
 UINT8 *orangemap;
 
-// Console BG colors
-UINT8 *cwhitemap;
-UINT8 *corangemap;
-UINT8 *cbluemap;
-UINT8 *cgreenmap;
-UINT8 *cgraymap;
-UINT8 *credmap;
+// Console BG color
+UINT8 *consolebgmap = NULL;
 
-void CON_ReSetupBackColormap(UINT16 num)
+void CON_SetupBackColormap(void)
 {
-	UINT16 i, j;
-	UINT8 k;
-	UINT8 *pal = W_CacheLumpName(R_GetPalname(num), PU_CACHE);
+	UINT16 i, palsum;
+	UINT8 j, palindex;
+	UINT8 *pal = W_CacheLumpName(GetPalette(), PU_CACHE);
 
-	// setup the green translucent background colormaps
-	for (i = 0, k = 0; i < 768; i += 3, k++)
+	if (!consolebgmap)
+		consolebgmap = (UINT8 *)Z_Malloc(256, PU_STATIC, NULL);
+
+	switch (cons_backcolor.value)
 	{
-		j = pal[i] + pal[i+1] + pal[i+2];
-		cwhitemap[k] = (UINT8)(15 - (j>>6));
-		corangemap[k] = (UINT8)(95 - (j>>6));
-		cbluemap[k] = (UINT8)(239 - (j>>6));
-		cgreenmap[k] = (UINT8)(175 - (j>>6));
-		cgraymap[k] = (UINT8)(31 - (j>>6));
-		credmap[k] = (UINT8)(143 - (j>>6));
+		case 0:		palindex = 15; 	break; // White
+		case 1:		palindex = 31;	break; // Gray
+		case 2:		palindex = 63;	break; // Brown
+		case 3:		palindex = 143;	break; // Red
+		case 4:		palindex = 95;	break; // Orange
+		case 5:		palindex = 111;	break; // Yellow
+		case 6:		palindex = 175;	break; // Green
+		case 7:		palindex = 239;	break; // Blue
+		case 8:		palindex = 219;	break; // Cyan
+		// Default green
+		default:	palindex = 175; break;
+}
+
+	// setup background colormap
+	for (i = 0, j = 0; i < 768; i += 3, j++)
+	{
+		palsum = (pal[i] + pal[i+1] + pal[i+2]) >> 6;
+		consolebgmap[j] = (UINT8)(palindex - palsum);
 	}
 }
 
-static void CON_SetupBackColormap(void)
+static void CONS_backcolor_Change(void)
 {
-	INT32 i, j, k;
-	UINT8 *pal;
+	CON_SetupBackColormap();
+}
 
-	cwhitemap   = (UINT8 *)Z_Malloc(256, PU_STATIC, NULL);
-	corangemap  = (UINT8 *)Z_Malloc(256, PU_STATIC, NULL);
-	cbluemap    = (UINT8 *)Z_Malloc(256, PU_STATIC, NULL);
-	cgreenmap   = (UINT8 *)Z_Malloc(256, PU_STATIC, NULL);
-	cgraymap    = (UINT8 *)Z_Malloc(256, PU_STATIC, NULL);
-	credmap     = (UINT8 *)Z_Malloc(256, PU_STATIC, NULL);
+static void CON_SetupColormaps(void)
+{
+	INT32 i;
 
 	yellowmap = (UINT8 *)Z_Malloc(256, PU_STATIC, NULL);
 	graymap   = (UINT8 *)Z_Malloc(256, PU_STATIC, NULL);
@@ -276,20 +284,6 @@ static void CON_SetupBackColormap(void)
 	redmap    = (UINT8 *)Z_Malloc(256, PU_STATIC, NULL);
 	orangemap = (UINT8 *)Z_Malloc(256, PU_STATIC, NULL);
 
-	pal = W_CacheLumpName("PLAYPAL", PU_CACHE);
-
-	// setup the green translucent background colormaps
-	for (i = 0, k = 0; i < 768; i += 3, k++)
-	{
-		j = pal[i] + pal[i+1] + pal[i+2];
-		cwhitemap[k] = (UINT8)(15 - (j>>6));
-		corangemap[k] = (UINT8)(95 - (j>>6));
-		cbluemap[k] = (UINT8)(239 - (j>>6));
-		cgreenmap[k] = (UINT8)(175 - (j>>6));
-		cgraymap[k] = (UINT8)(31 - (j>>6));
-		credmap[k] = (UINT8)(143 - (j>>6));
-	}
-
 	// setup the other colormaps, for console text
 
 	// these don't need to be aligned, unless you convert the
@@ -320,6 +314,9 @@ static void CON_SetupBackColormap(void)
 	redmap[9]    = (UINT8)127;
 	orangemap[3] = (UINT8)85;
 	orangemap[9] = (UINT8)90;
+
+	// Init back colormap
+	CON_SetupBackColormap();
 }
 
 // Setup the console text buffer
@@ -343,7 +340,7 @@ void CON_Init(void)
 	con_width = 0;
 	CON_RecalcSize();
 
-	CON_SetupBackColormap();
+	CON_SetupColormaps();
 
 	//note: CON_Ticker should always execute at least once before D_Display()
 	con_clipviewtop = -1; // -1 does not clip
@@ -1417,7 +1414,7 @@ static void CON_DrawConsole(void)
 	{
 		// inu: no more width (was always 0 and vid.width)
 		if (rendermode != render_none)
-			V_DrawFadeConsBack(con_curlines, cons_backcolor.value); // translucent background
+			V_DrawFadeConsBack(con_curlines); // translucent background
 	}
 
 	// draw console text lines from top to bottom
diff --git a/src/console.h b/src/console.h
index 47af65e2..8cf6483f 100644
--- a/src/console.h
+++ b/src/console.h
@@ -40,11 +40,10 @@ extern consvar_t cons_backcolor;
 
 extern UINT8 *yellowmap, *purplemap, *lgreenmap, *bluemap, *graymap, *redmap, *orangemap;
 
-// Console bg colors:
-extern UINT8 *cwhitemap, *corangemap, *cbluemap, *cgreenmap, *cgraymap,
-	*credmap;
+// Console bg color (auto updated to match)
+extern UINT8 *consolebgmap;
 
-void CON_ReSetupBackColormap(UINT16 num);
+void CON_SetupBackColormap(void);
 void CON_ClearHUD(void); // clear heads up messages
 
 void CON_Ticker(void);
diff --git a/src/p_setup.c b/src/p_setup.c
index e56c44c7..111c717d 100644
--- a/src/p_setup.c
+++ b/src/p_setup.c
@@ -2585,7 +2585,7 @@ boolean P_SetupLevel(boolean skipprecip)
 	lastloadedmaplumpnum = W_GetNumForName(maplumpname = G_BuildMapName(gamemap));
 
 	R_ReInitColormaps(mapheaderinfo[gamemap-1]->palette);
-	CON_ReSetupBackColormap(mapheaderinfo[gamemap-1]->palette);
+	CON_SetupBackColormap();
 
 	// now part of level loading since in future each level may have
 	// its own anim texture sequences, switches etc.
diff --git a/src/v_video.c b/src/v_video.c
index 3cc6d195..43e3f018 100644
--- a/src/v_video.c
+++ b/src/v_video.c
@@ -968,45 +968,38 @@ void V_DrawFadeScreen(void)
 }
 
 // Simple translucency with one color, over a set number of lines starting from the top.
-void V_DrawFadeConsBack(INT32 plines, INT32 pcolor)
+void V_DrawFadeConsBack(INT32 plines)
 {
-	UINT8 *deststop, *colormap, *buf;
+	UINT8 *deststop, *buf;
 
 #ifdef HWRENDER // not win32 only 19990829 by Kin
 	if (rendermode != render_soft && rendermode != render_none)
 	{
 		UINT32 hwcolor;
-		switch (pcolor)
+		switch (cons_backcolor.value)
 		{
-			case 0:		hwcolor = 0xffffff00;	break;	//white
-			case 1:		hwcolor = 0xff800000;	break;	//orange
-			case 2:		hwcolor = 0x0000ff00;	break;	//blue
-			case 3:		hwcolor = 0x00800000;	break;	//green
-			case 4:		hwcolor = 0x80808000;	break;	//gray
-			case 5:		hwcolor = 0xff000000;	break;	//red
-			default:	hwcolor = 0x00800000;	break;	//green
+			case 0:		hwcolor = 0xffffff00;	break; // White
+			case 1:		hwcolor = 0x80808000;	break; // Gray
+			case 2:		hwcolor = 0x40201000;	break; // Brown
+			case 3:		hwcolor = 0xff000000;	break; // Red
+			case 4:		hwcolor = 0xff800000;	break; // Orange
+			case 5:		hwcolor = 0x80800000;	break; // Yellow
+			case 6:		hwcolor = 0x00800000;	break; // Green
+			case 7:		hwcolor = 0x0000ff00;	break; // Blue
+			case 8:		hwcolor = 0x4080ff00;	break; // Cyan
+			// Default green
+			default:	hwcolor = 0x00800000;	break;
 		}
 		HWR_DrawConsoleBack(hwcolor, plines);
 		return;
 	}
 #endif
 
-	switch (pcolor)
-	{
-		case 0:		colormap = cwhitemap; 	break;
-		case 1:		colormap = corangemap;	break;
-		case 2:		colormap = cbluemap;	break;
-		case 3:		colormap = cgreenmap;	break;
-		case 4:		colormap = cgraymap;	break;
-		case 5:		colormap = credmap;		break;
-		default:	colormap = cgreenmap;	break;
-	}
-
 	// heavily simplified -- we don't need to know x or y position,
 	// just the stop position
 	deststop = screens[0] + vid.rowbytes * min(plines, vid.height);
 	for (buf = screens[0]; buf < deststop; ++buf)
-		*buf = colormap[*buf];
+		*buf = consolebgmap[*buf];
 }
 
 // Gets string colormap, used for 0x80 color codes
diff --git a/src/v_video.h b/src/v_video.h
index 70255d0e..353f84c1 100644
--- a/src/v_video.h
+++ b/src/v_video.h
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ void V_DrawFlatFill(INT32 x, INT32 y, INT32 w, INT32 h, lumpnum_t flatnum);
 // fade down the screen buffer before drawing the menu over
 void V_DrawFadeScreen(void);
 
-void V_DrawFadeConsBack(INT32 plines, INT32 pcolor);
+void V_DrawFadeConsBack(INT32 plines);
 
 // draw a single character
 void V_DrawCharacter(INT32 x, INT32 y, INT32 c, boolean lowercaseallowed);