diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/data/BodyObject.dobj b/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/data/BodyObject.dobj
index c3a1a0251..7b15917ca 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/data/BodyObject.dobj
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/data/BodyObject.dobj
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: BodyObject.dobj,v 1.5 2001/10/11 04:07:51 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: BodyObject.dobj,v 1.6 2002/02/03 03:09:06 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.crowd.data;
 
@@ -29,11 +29,23 @@ public class BodyObject extends ClientObject
         requestAttributeChange(USERNAME, username);
     }
 
+    public void setUsernameImmediate (String username)
+    {
+        this.username = username;
+        requestAttributeChange(USERNAME, username);
+    }
+
     public void setLocation (int location)
     {
         requestAttributeChange(LOCATION, new Integer(location));
     }
 
+    public void setLocationImmediate (int location)
+    {
+        this.location = location;
+        requestAttributeChange(LOCATION, new Integer(location));
+    }
+
     protected void toString (StringBuffer buf)
     {
         super.toString(buf);
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/server/CrowdClient.java b/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/server/CrowdClient.java
index 17783fb6b..4ad493740 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/server/CrowdClient.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/server/CrowdClient.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: CrowdClient.java,v 1.5 2001/12/03 22:01:57 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: CrowdClient.java,v 1.6 2002/02/03 03:09:06 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.crowd.server;
 
@@ -19,8 +19,11 @@ public class CrowdClient extends PresentsClient
         // cast our client object to a body object
         _bodobj = (BodyObject)_clobj;
 
-        // and configure our username
-        _bodobj.setUsername(_username);
+        // and configure our username (we use the setImmediate form so
+        // that entities later in the session start processing can access
+        // fields set in the body object without having to wait for them
+        // to be flushed through the dobject queue)
+        _bodobj.setUsernameImmediate(_username);
 
         // register our body object mapping
         CrowdServer.mapBody(_username, _bodobj);