diff --git a/Gameleap/code/mw4/Code/MW4/MW4Shell.cpp b/Gameleap/code/mw4/Code/MW4/MW4Shell.cpp
index 3548841f..7e0892db 100644
--- a/Gameleap/code/mw4/Code/MW4/MW4Shell.cpp
+++ b/Gameleap/code/mw4/Code/MW4/MW4Shell.cpp
@@ -57,6 +57,19 @@
 
 #include "mechspecs.cpp"
 
+// [16 pilots + 1 cameraship fix]
+//
+// A cameraship seat occupies a network (DirectPlay) slot but pilots no 'Mech, so slots must
+// be reserved for cameraships on top of the pilot cap, and cameraships must NOT be counted
+// against the 'Mech cap.
+//
+// The reserve has to be a CONSTANT rather than being derived from
+// (CTCL_GetTeslaCountAll() - CTCL_GetTeslaCount()): the CTCL tesla table is only populated
+// when CTCL_IsConsoleOrCOOP() is true (see ctcl.cpp), so on a pod - including the cameraship
+// pod, which is the machine that actually creates the network session in CTCL_DoCreateGame()
+// - both counters return 0 and the reserve collapsed to +0.
+#define MW4_CAMERASHIP_RESERVE 4 // must be >= MAX_CAMERAS in ctcl.cpp
+
 // MSL 5.03 Mechview
 void __stdcall CTCL_AfterBeginScene();
 void __stdcall CTCL_UpdateMechView();
@@ -1968,8 +1981,13 @@ int MW4Shell::SetNetworkMissionParamater(void * instance, int numParms, void **d
 		case PLAYER_LIMIT_PARAMETER:
 			params->m_playerLimit = INTPARM(1);
 			Min_Clamp(params->m_playerLimit, Network::GetInstance()->GetPlayerCount());
-			// Add camera slots on top of the pilot limit so cameraships can still connect
-			Environment.NetworkMaxPlayers = params->m_playerLimit + (CTCL_GetTeslaCountAll() - CTCL_GetTeslaCount());
+			// [16 pilots + 1 cameraship fix] Add camera slots on top of the pilot limit so
+			// cameraships can still connect. Uses the constant reserve for the same reason as
+			// CTCL_DefaultHostSetup: the CTCL tesla counters are console-only and read 0 on a pod.
+			// Only applied under CTCL - a standalone (non-pod) host must keep its exact limit.
+			Environment.NetworkMaxPlayers = params->m_playerLimit;
+			if (!CTCL_IsNone())
+				Environment.NetworkMaxPlayers += MW4_CAMERASHIP_RESERVE;
 			gos_NetServerCommands(gos_Commend_UpdateMaxPlayers,0);
 			break;
 
@@ -9071,6 +9089,24 @@ int MW4Shell::LoadDefaultOptions()
 	return 1;
 }
 
+//~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+// [16 pilots + 1 cameraship fix]
+// Number of cameraship participants in the current roster. Only meaningful on the server
+// pod, which is the only machine that holds the full g_aPlayerInfos roster (filled by
+// CSOC_Client::OnBOTS) and the only machine that calls AddBot in CTCL mode.
+// A cameraship entry is a non-bot player with no 'Mech (m_nMechIndex == 0).
+static int CTCL_CountCameraShipsInGame()
+{
+	int count = 0;
+	for (int i = 0; i < g_nPlayerInfos; i++)
+	{
+		const SPlayerInfo& PI = g_aPlayerInfos[i];
+		if (!PI.m_bBot && (PI.m_nMechIndex == 0))
+			count++;
+	}
+	return count;
+}
+
 //~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 //
 int _stdcall MW4Shell::AddBot(void *instance, int numParams, void* data[])
@@ -9087,6 +9123,16 @@ int _stdcall MW4Shell::AddBot(void *instance, int numParams, void* data[])
 			bot_count++;
 	}
 	player_count = Network::GetInstance()->GetPlayerCount();
+	// [16 pilots + 1 cameraship fix] Cameraships hold a network slot but no 'Mech slot.
+	// Counting them here capped pilots+cameras+bots at m_maxPlayers (16), so a full 16-'Mech
+	// roster plus a cameraship silently lost its last bot; g_nBOTs then never matched the
+	// connected lancemates and CTCL_CheckServerReady() spun forever without ever launching.
+	if (CTCL_IsConsoleX())
+	{
+		player_count -= CTCL_CountCameraShipsInGame();
+		if (player_count < 0)
+			player_count = 0;
+	}
 	NetMissionParameters::MWNetMissionParameters *params = app->GetLocalNetParams();
 	if (params->m_runDedicated)
 	{
@@ -13592,10 +13638,13 @@ void CTCL_API CTCL_DefaultHostSetup(int nMode)
           params->m_maxBots = 8;
     } else {
     params->m_maxPlayers = 16;
-    // Reserve extra DirectPlay slots for cameraships: they share the session but are tracked
-    // separately from pilot seats in CTCL (CTCL_GetTeslaCountAll - CTCL_GetTeslaCount = camera count).
-    // Without this, cameraship connection is rejected by DirectPlay because slot 17 doesn't exist.
-    Environment.NetworkMaxPlayers = params->m_maxPlayers + (CTCL_GetTeslaCountAll() - CTCL_GetTeslaCount());
+    // [16 pilots + 1 cameraship fix] Reserve network slots for cameraship seats on top of the
+    // pilot cap. This runs on the cameraship pod too (via CTCL_DoCreateGame -> nMode 0), which
+    // is the machine that creates the session with dwMaxPlayers = Environment.NetworkMaxPlayers.
+    // Do NOT derive the reserve from the CTCL tesla counters here: that table is console-only,
+    // so on the pod they both return 0, the reserve became +0, the session was created with
+    // 16 slots, and the 17th connection was refused - the mission then never finished loading.
+    Environment.NetworkMaxPlayers = params->m_maxPlayers + MW4_CAMERASHIP_RESERVE;
     params->m_maxBots = 16;
     }
     params->m_allow3rdPerson = 1;