diff --git a/libraries/entities/src/EntityItem.cpp b/libraries/entities/src/EntityItem.cpp
index b271439662..22cfeb3674 100644
--- a/libraries/entities/src/EntityItem.cpp
+++ b/libraries/entities/src/EntityItem.cpp
@@ -53,14 +53,13 @@ void EntityItem::initFromEntityItemID(const EntityItemID& entityItemID) {
     _creatorTokenID = entityItemID.creatorTokenID;
 
     // init values with defaults before calling setProperties
-    //uint64_t now = usecTimestampNow();
     _lastEdited = 0;
     _lastEditedFromRemote = 0;
     _lastEditedFromRemoteInRemoteTime = 0;
     
     _lastSimulated = 0;
     _lastUpdated = 0;
-    _created = 0; // TODO: when do we actually want to make this "now"
+    _created = usecTimestampNow();
     _changedOnServer = 0;
 
     _position = glm::vec3(0,0,0);
@@ -99,16 +98,20 @@ EntityItem::EntityItem(const EntityItemID& entityItemID) {
 
 EntityItem::EntityItem(const EntityItemID& entityItemID, const EntityItemProperties& properties) {
     _type = EntityTypes::Unknown;
-    _lastEdited = 0;
+    quint64 now = usecTimestampNow();
+    _created = properties.getCreated() < now ? properties.getCreated() : now;
+    _lastEdited = _lastEditedFromRemote = _lastSimulated = _lastUpdated = _lastEditedFromRemoteInRemoteTime = _created;
     _lastEditedFromRemote = 0;
     _lastEditedFromRemoteInRemoteTime = 0;
     _lastSimulated = 0;
     _lastUpdated = 0;
-    _created = properties.getCreated();
     _dirtyFlags = 0;
     _changedOnServer = 0;
     initFromEntityItemID(entityItemID);
     setProperties(properties, true); // force copy
+    if (_lastEdited == 0) {
+        _lastEdited = _created;
+    }
 }
 
 EntityPropertyFlags EntityItem::getEntityProperties(EncodeBitstreamParams& params) const {
@@ -367,7 +370,12 @@ int EntityItem::readEntityDataFromBuffer(const unsigned char* data, int bytesLef
         bytesRead += sizeof(createdFromBuffer);
         createdFromBuffer -= clockSkew;
         
-        _created = createdFromBuffer; // TODO: do we ever want to discard this???
+        if (createdFromBuffer < _created) {
+            // the server claims that this entity has an older creation time
+            // so we accept it and clear _lastEdited
+            _created = createdFromBuffer;
+            _lastEdited = 0;
+        }
 
         if (wantDebug) {
             quint64 lastEdited = getLastEdited();
@@ -416,14 +424,14 @@ int EntityItem::readEntityDataFromBuffer(const unsigned char* data, int bytesLef
         if (fromSameServerEdit) {
             // If this is from the same sever packet, then check against any local changes since we got
             // the most recent packet from this server time
-            if (_lastEdited > _lastEditedFromRemote) {
+            if (_lastEdited >= _lastEditedFromRemote) {
                 ignoreServerPacket = true;
             }
         } else {
             // If this isn't from the same sever packet, then honor our skew adjusted times...
             // If we've changed our local tree more recently than the new data from this packet
             // then we will not be changing our values, instead we just read and skip the data
-            if (_lastEdited > lastEditedFromBufferAdjusted) {
+            if (_lastEdited >= lastEditedFromBufferAdjusted) {
                 ignoreServerPacket = true;
             }
         }
@@ -439,7 +447,8 @@ int EntityItem::readEntityDataFromBuffer(const unsigned char* data, int bytesLef
                 qDebug() << "USING NEW data from server!!! ****************";
             }
 
-            _lastEdited = lastEditedFromBufferAdjusted;
+            // don't allow _lastEdited to be in the future
+            _lastEdited = lastEditedFromBufferAdjusted < now ? lastEditedFromBufferAdjusted : now;
             _lastEditedFromRemote = now;
             _lastEditedFromRemoteInRemoteTime = lastEditedFromBuffer;
             
@@ -451,7 +460,8 @@ int EntityItem::readEntityDataFromBuffer(const unsigned char* data, int bytesLef
         ByteCountCoded<quint64> updateDeltaCoder = encodedUpdateDelta;
         quint64 updateDelta = updateDeltaCoder;
         if (overwriteLocalData) {
-            _lastSimulated = _lastUpdated = lastEditedFromBufferAdjusted + updateDelta; // don't adjust for clock skew since we already did that for _lastEdited
+            _lastUpdated = lastEditedFromBufferAdjusted + updateDelta; // don't adjust for clock skew since we already did that for _lastEdited
+            _lastSimulated = now;
             if (wantDebug) {
                 qDebug() << "_lastUpdated =" << _lastUpdated;
                 qDebug() << "_lastEdited=" << _lastEdited;
@@ -576,7 +586,7 @@ void EntityItem::simulate(const quint64& now) {
     float timeElapsed = (float)(now - _lastSimulated) / (float)(USECS_PER_SECOND);
 
     if (wantDebug) {
-        qDebug() << "********** EntityItem::update()";
+        qDebug() << "********** EntityItem::simulate()";
         qDebug() << "    entity ID=" << getEntityItemID();
         qDebug() << "    now=" << now;
         qDebug() << "    _lastSimulated=" << _lastSimulated;
@@ -612,10 +622,8 @@ void EntityItem::simulate(const quint64& now) {
         }
     }
 
-    _lastSimulated = now;
-
     if (wantDebug) {
-        qDebug() << "     ********** EntityItem::update() .... SETTING _lastSimulated=" << _lastSimulated;
+        qDebug() << "     ********** EntityItem::simulate() .... SETTING _lastSimulated=" << _lastSimulated;
     }
 
     if (hasAngularVelocity()) {
@@ -645,13 +653,13 @@ void EntityItem::simulate(const quint64& now) {
         }
     }
 
-    if (hasVelocity() || hasGravity()) {
+    if (hasVelocity()) {
         glm::vec3 position = getPosition();
         glm::vec3 velocity = getVelocity();
         glm::vec3 newPosition = position + (velocity * timeElapsed);
 
         if (wantDebug) {        
-            qDebug() << "  EntityItem::update()....";
+            qDebug() << "  EntityItem::simulate()....";
             qDebug() << "    timeElapsed:" << timeElapsed;
             qDebug() << "    old AACube:" << getMaximumAACube();
             qDebug() << "    old position:" << position;
@@ -677,15 +685,15 @@ void EntityItem::simulate(const quint64& now) {
         }
 
         // handle gravity....
-        if (hasGravity() && !isRestingOnSurface()) {
-            velocity += getGravity() * timeElapsed;
-        }
-
-        // handle resting on surface case, this is definitely a bit of a hack, and it only works on the
-        // "ground" plane of the domain, but for now it
-        if (hasGravity() && isRestingOnSurface()) {
-            velocity.y = 0.0f;
-            position.y = getDistanceToBottomOfEntity();
+        if (hasGravity()) { 
+            // handle resting on surface case, this is definitely a bit of a hack, and it only works on the
+            // "ground" plane of the domain, but for now it what we've got
+            if (isRestingOnSurface()) {
+                velocity.y = 0.0f;
+                position.y = getDistanceToBottomOfEntity();
+            } else {
+                velocity += getGravity() * timeElapsed;
+            }
         }
 
         // handle damping for velocity
@@ -721,10 +729,12 @@ void EntityItem::simulate(const quint64& now) {
             qDebug() << "    old getAABox:" << getAABox();
         }
     }
+
+    _lastSimulated = now;
 }
 
 bool EntityItem::isMoving() const {
-    return hasVelocity() || (hasGravity() && !isRestingOnSurface()) || hasAngularVelocity();
+    return hasVelocity() || hasAngularVelocity();
 }
 
 bool EntityItem::lifetimeHasExpired() const { 
@@ -773,10 +783,13 @@ bool EntityItem::setProperties(const EntityItemProperties& properties, bool forc
 
     // handle the setting of created timestamps for the basic new entity case
     if (forceCopy) {
+        quint64 now = usecTimestampNow();
         if (properties.getCreated() == UNKNOWN_CREATED_TIME) {
-            _created = usecTimestampNow();
+            _created = now;
         } else if (properties.getCreated() != USE_EXISTING_CREATED_TIME) {
-            _created = properties.getCreated();
+            quint64 created = properties.getCreated();
+            // don't allow _created to be in the future
+            _created = created < now ? created : now;
         }
     }
 
@@ -803,13 +816,17 @@ bool EntityItem::setProperties(const EntityItemProperties& properties, bool forc
     if (somethingChanged) {
         somethingChangedNotification(); // notify derived classes that something has changed
         bool wantDebug = false;
+        uint64_t now = usecTimestampNow();
         if (wantDebug) {
-            uint64_t now = usecTimestampNow();
             int elapsed = now - getLastEdited();
             qDebug() << "EntityItem::setProperties() AFTER update... edited AGO=" << elapsed <<
                     "now=" << now << " getLastEdited()=" << getLastEdited();
         }
-        setLastEdited(properties._lastEdited);
+        // don't allow _lastEdited to be in the future
+        setLastEdited(properties._lastEdited < now ? properties._lastEdited : now);
+        if (getDirtyFlags() & EntityItem::DIRTY_POSITION) {
+            _lastSimulated = usecTimestampNow();
+        }
     }
     
     return somethingChanged;
diff --git a/libraries/entities/src/EntityItem.h b/libraries/entities/src/EntityItem.h
index d5a4689657..7455b96f6b 100644
--- a/libraries/entities/src/EntityItem.h
+++ b/libraries/entities/src/EntityItem.h
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ public:
      /// Last edited time of this entity universal usecs
     quint64 getLastEdited() const { return _lastEdited; }
     void setLastEdited(quint64 lastEdited) 
-        { _lastEdited = _lastSimulated = _lastUpdated = lastEdited; _changedOnServer = glm::max(lastEdited, _changedOnServer); }
+        { _lastEdited = _lastUpdated = lastEdited; _changedOnServer = glm::max(lastEdited, _changedOnServer); }
     float getEditedAgo() const /// Elapsed seconds since this entity was last edited
         { return (float)(usecTimestampNow() - getLastEdited()) / (float)USECS_PER_SECOND; }
 
@@ -120,9 +120,6 @@ public:
 
     static int expectedBytes();
 
-    static bool encodeEntityEditMessageDetails(PacketType command, EntityItemID id, const EntityItemProperties& details,
-                        unsigned char* bufferOut, int sizeIn, int& sizeOut);
-
     static void adjustEditPacketForClockSkew(unsigned char* codeColorBuffer, size_t length, int clockSkew);
 
     // perform update
diff --git a/libraries/entities/src/EntityItemProperties.h b/libraries/entities/src/EntityItemProperties.h
index 642e24beec..e5f78e8fc7 100644
--- a/libraries/entities/src/EntityItemProperties.h
+++ b/libraries/entities/src/EntityItemProperties.h
@@ -95,8 +95,8 @@ enum EntityPropertyList {
 
 typedef PropertyFlags<EntityPropertyList> EntityPropertyFlags;
 
-const quint64 UNKNOWN_CREATED_TIME = (quint64)(-1);
-const quint64 USE_EXISTING_CREATED_TIME = (quint64)(-2);
+const quint64 UNKNOWN_CREATED_TIME = 0;
+const quint64 USE_EXISTING_CREATED_TIME = 1;
 
 
 /// A collection of properties of an entity item used in the scripting API. Translates between the actual properties of an
diff --git a/libraries/entities/src/EntityTypes.cpp b/libraries/entities/src/EntityTypes.cpp
index 194df024e0..f7806445bc 100644
--- a/libraries/entities/src/EntityTypes.cpp
+++ b/libraries/entities/src/EntityTypes.cpp
@@ -71,7 +71,6 @@ bool EntityTypes::registerEntityType(EntityType entityType, const char* name, En
 
 EntityItem* EntityTypes::constructEntityItem(EntityType entityType, const EntityItemID& entityID,
                                                     const EntityItemProperties& properties) {
-                            
     EntityItem* newEntityItem = NULL;
     EntityTypeFactory factory = NULL;
     if (entityType >= 0 && entityType <= LAST) {
@@ -129,7 +128,12 @@ EntityItem* EntityTypes::constructEntityItem(const unsigned char* data, int byte
         
         EntityItemID tempEntityID(actualID);
         EntityItemProperties tempProperties;
-        tempProperties.setCreated(usecTimestampNow()); // this is temporary...
+
+        // we set the Creation and Edit times to 'now', but if the server submits an earlier Creation time 
+        // then it will be accepted 
+        quint64 now = usecTimestampNow();
+        tempProperties.setCreated(now);
+        tempProperties.setLastEdited(now);
 
         return constructEntityItem(entityType, tempEntityID, tempProperties);
     }