diff --git a/Subsurface/Source/DebugConsole.cs b/Subsurface/Source/DebugConsole.cs
index 0598ce9c2..8fcfff3f1 100644
--- a/Subsurface/Source/DebugConsole.cs
+++ b/Subsurface/Source/DebugConsole.cs
@@ -735,6 +735,24 @@ namespace Barotrauma
                         GameMain.Server.CreateEntityEvent(wall);
                     }
                     break;
+                case "spamchatmessages":
+                    int msgCount = 1000;
+                    if (commands.Length > 1) int.TryParse(commands[1], out msgCount);
+                    int msgLength = 50;
+                    if (commands.Length > 2) int.TryParse(commands[2], out msgLength);
+
+                    for (int i = 0; i < msgCount; i++)
+                    {
+                        if (GameMain.Server != null)
+                        {
+                            GameMain.Server.SendChatMessage(ToolBox.RandomSeed(msgLength), ChatMessageType.Default);
+                        }
+                        else
+                        {
+                            GameMain.Client.SendChatMessage(ToolBox.RandomSeed(msgLength));
+                        }
+                    }
+                    break;
 #endif
                 case "cleanbuild":
                     GameMain.Config.MusicVolume = 0.5f;
diff --git a/Subsurface/Source/GUI/GUITextBox.cs b/Subsurface/Source/GUI/GUITextBox.cs
index 2c89b42e3..c5350f007 100644
--- a/Subsurface/Source/GUI/GUITextBox.cs
+++ b/Subsurface/Source/GUI/GUITextBox.cs
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ namespace Barotrauma
 
         public bool CaretEnabled;
 
-        private int? maxTextWidth;
+        private int? maxTextLength;
         
         public GUITextBlock.TextGetterHandler TextGetter
         {
@@ -42,14 +42,13 @@ namespace Barotrauma
             set { textBlock.Wrap = value; }
         }
 
-        public int? MaxTextWidth
+        public int? MaxTextLength
         {
-            get { return maxTextWidth; }
+            get { return maxTextLength; }
             set
             {
-                textBlock.OverflowClip = value != null && (int)value > textBlock.Rect.Width - textBlock.Padding.X - textBlock.Padding.Z;
-                
-                maxTextWidth = value;
+                textBlock.OverflowClip = true;                
+                maxTextLength = value;
             }
         }
         
@@ -142,9 +141,14 @@ namespace Barotrauma
                 {
                     if (!Wrap)
                     {
-                        int maxWidth = MaxTextWidth == null ? (int)(textBlock.Rect.Width - textBlock.Padding.X - textBlock.Padding.Z) : (int)MaxTextWidth;
-
-                        if (Font.MeasureString(textBlock.Text).X > maxWidth)
+                        if (maxTextLength != null)
+                        {
+                            if (Text.Length > maxTextLength)
+                            {
+                                Text = textBlock.Text.Substring(0, (int)maxTextLength);
+                            }
+                        }
+                        else if (Font.MeasureString(textBlock.Text).X > (int)(textBlock.Rect.Width - textBlock.Padding.X - textBlock.Padding.Z))
                         {
                             Text = textBlock.Text.Substring(0, textBlock.Text.Length - 1);
                         }
diff --git a/Subsurface/Source/Networking/ChatMessage.cs b/Subsurface/Source/Networking/ChatMessage.cs
index fd6b561e9..c640dfa93 100644
--- a/Subsurface/Source/Networking/ChatMessage.cs
+++ b/Subsurface/Source/Networking/ChatMessage.cs
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ using System.Text;
 
 namespace Barotrauma.Networking
 {
-
     enum ChatMessageType
     {
         Default, Error, Dead, Server, Radio, Private
@@ -14,6 +13,8 @@ namespace Barotrauma.Networking
 
     class ChatMessage
     {
+        public const int MaxLength = 150;
+
         public const float SpeakRange = 2000.0f;
         
         public static Color[] MessageColor = 
@@ -138,6 +139,12 @@ namespace Barotrauma.Networking
         {
             UInt16 ID = msg.ReadUInt16();
             string txt = msg.ReadString();
+
+            if (txt.Length > MaxLength)
+            {
+                txt = txt.Substring(0, MaxLength);
+            }
+
             if (NetIdUtils.IdMoreRecent(ID, c.lastSentChatMsgID))
             {
                 //this chat message is new to the server
diff --git a/Subsurface/Source/Networking/GameServer.cs b/Subsurface/Source/Networking/GameServer.cs
index a4622a6b5..8e5d5df8e 100644
--- a/Subsurface/Source/Networking/GameServer.cs
+++ b/Subsurface/Source/Networking/GameServer.cs
@@ -841,11 +841,13 @@ namespace Barotrauma.Networking
             outmsg.Write(c.lastSentEntityEventID);
 
             c.chatMsgQueue.RemoveAll(cMsg => !NetIdUtils.IdMoreRecent(cMsg.NetStateID, c.lastRecvChatMsgID));
-            foreach (ChatMessage cMsg in c.chatMsgQueue)
+
+            int maxChatMsgsPerPacket = 50;
+            for (int i = 0; i < c.chatMsgQueue.Count && i < maxChatMsgsPerPacket; i++)
             {
-                cMsg.ServerWrite(outmsg, c);
-            }            
-            
+                c.chatMsgQueue[i].ServerWrite(outmsg, c);
+            }
+
             //don't send position updates to characters who are still midround syncing
             //characters or items spawned mid-round don't necessarily exist at the client's end yet
             if (!c.NeedsMidRoundSync)
diff --git a/Subsurface/Source/Networking/NetworkMember.cs b/Subsurface/Source/Networking/NetworkMember.cs
index 74c558539..0505eda01 100644
--- a/Subsurface/Source/Networking/NetworkMember.cs
+++ b/Subsurface/Source/Networking/NetworkMember.cs
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ namespace Barotrauma.Networking
                 new Rectangle(chatBox.Rect.X, chatBox.Rect.Y + chatBox.Rect.Height + 20, chatBox.Rect.Width, 25),
                 Color.White * 0.5f, Color.Black, Alignment.TopLeft, Alignment.Left, "", inGameHUD);
             chatMsgBox.Font = GUI.SmallFont;
-            chatMsgBox.MaxTextWidth = chatBox.Rect.Width * 2;
+            chatMsgBox.MaxTextLength = ChatMessage.MaxLength;
             chatMsgBox.Padding = Vector4.Zero;
             chatMsgBox.OnEnterPressed = EnterChatMessage;
             chatMsgBox.OnTextChanged = TypingChatMessage;
diff --git a/Subsurface/Source/Screens/NetLobbyScreen.cs b/Subsurface/Source/Screens/NetLobbyScreen.cs
index 9d5ab90ff..c6ee7700d 100644
--- a/Subsurface/Source/Screens/NetLobbyScreen.cs
+++ b/Subsurface/Source/Screens/NetLobbyScreen.cs
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ namespace Barotrauma
 
             chatBox = new GUIListBox(new Rectangle(0,0,0,chatFrame.Rect.Height-80), Color.White, "", chatFrame);            
             textBox = new GUITextBox(new Rectangle(0, 25, 0, 25), Alignment.Bottom, "", chatFrame);
-            textBox.MaxTextWidth = textBox.Rect.Width * 2;
+            textBox.MaxTextLength = ChatMessage.MaxLength;
             textBox.Font = GUI.SmallFont;
 
             //player info panel ------------------------------------------------------------