diff --git a/assignment-client/src/main.cpp b/assignment-client/src/main.cpp
index f3d6b8c0cd..ac34fb0723 100644
--- a/assignment-client/src/main.cpp
+++ b/assignment-client/src/main.cpp
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 #include <PacketHeaders.h>
 #include <SharedUtil.h>
 
-const int ASSIGNMENT_REQUEST_INTERVAL_USECS = 1 * 1000 * 1000;
+const long long ASSIGNMENT_REQUEST_INTERVAL_USECS = 1 * 1000 * 1000;
 
 int main(int argc, char* const argv[]) {
     
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@ int main(int argc, char* const argv[]) {
     // change the timeout on the nodelist socket to be as often as we want to re-request
     nodeList->getNodeSocket()->setBlockingReceiveTimeoutInUsecs(ASSIGNMENT_REQUEST_INTERVAL_USECS);
     
+    timeval lastRequest = {};
+    
     unsigned char packetData[MAX_PACKET_SIZE];
     ssize_t receivedBytes = 0;
     
@@ -51,38 +53,41 @@ int main(int argc, char* const argv[]) {
     Assignment requestAssignment(Assignment::Request, Assignment::All, assignmentPool);
     
     while (true) {
-        // if we're here we have no assignment, so send a request
-        qDebug() << "Sending an assignment request -" << requestAssignment;
-        nodeList->sendAssignment(requestAssignment);
+        if (usecTimestampNow() - usecTimestamp(&lastRequest) >= ASSIGNMENT_REQUEST_INTERVAL_USECS) {
+            gettimeofday(&lastRequest, NULL);
+            // if we're here we have no assignment, so send a request
+            qDebug() << "Sending an assignment request -" << requestAssignment;
+            nodeList->sendAssignment(requestAssignment);
+        }
         
-        while (nodeList->getNodeSocket()->receive(packetData, &receivedBytes)) {
-            if (packetData[0] == PACKET_TYPE_DEPLOY_ASSIGNMENT && packetVersionMatch(packetData)) {
+        if (nodeList->getNodeSocket()->receive(packetData, &receivedBytes) &&
+            packetData[0] == PACKET_TYPE_DEPLOY_ASSIGNMENT && packetVersionMatch(packetData)) {
+            
+            // construct the deployed assignment from the packet data
+            Assignment deployedAssignment(packetData, receivedBytes);
+            
+            qDebug() << "Received an assignment - " << deployedAssignment << "\n";
+            
+            // switch our nodelist DOMAIN_IP to the ip receieved in the assignment
+            if (deployedAssignment.getDomainSocket()->sa_family == AF_INET) {
+                in_addr domainSocketAddr = ((sockaddr_in*) deployedAssignment.getDomainSocket())->sin_addr;
+                nodeList->setDomainIP(inet_ntoa(domainSocketAddr));
                 
-                // construct the deployed assignment from the packet data
-                Assignment deployedAssignment(packetData, receivedBytes);
-                
-                qDebug() << "Received an assignment - " << deployedAssignment << "\n";
-                
-                // switch our nodelist DOMAIN_IP to the ip receieved in the assignment
-                if (deployedAssignment.getDomainSocket()->sa_family == AF_INET) {
-                    in_addr domainSocketAddr = ((sockaddr_in*) deployedAssignment.getDomainSocket())->sin_addr;
-                    nodeList->setDomainIP(inet_ntoa(domainSocketAddr));
-                    
-                    qDebug() << "Changed domain IP to " << inet_ntoa(domainSocketAddr);
-                }
-                
-                if (deployedAssignment.getType() == Assignment::AudioMixer) {
-                    AudioMixer::run();
-                } else {
-                    AvatarMixer::run();
-                }
-                
-                qDebug() << "Assignment finished or never started - waiting for new assignment";
-                
-                // reset our NodeList by switching back to unassigned and clearing the list
-                nodeList->setOwnerType(NODE_TYPE_UNASSIGNED);
-                nodeList->clear();
+                qDebug() << "Changed domain IP to " << inet_ntoa(domainSocketAddr);
             }
+            
+            if (deployedAssignment.getType() == Assignment::AudioMixer) {
+                AudioMixer::run();
+            } else {
+                qDebug() << "Running as an avatar mixer!";
+                AvatarMixer::run();
+            }
+            
+            qDebug() << "Assignment finished or never started - waiting for new assignment";
+            
+            // reset our NodeList by switching back to unassigned and clearing the list
+            nodeList->setOwnerType(NODE_TYPE_UNASSIGNED);
+            nodeList->clear();
         }
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/libraries/shared/src/NodeList.cpp b/libraries/shared/src/NodeList.cpp
index c650190a4a..db90856251 100644
--- a/libraries/shared/src/NodeList.cpp
+++ b/libraries/shared/src/NodeList.cpp
@@ -255,6 +255,7 @@ void NodeList::clear() {
     }
     
     _numNodes = 0;
+    _numNoReplyDomainCheckIns = 0;
 }
 
 void NodeList::setNodeTypesOfInterest(const char* nodeTypesOfInterest, int numNodeTypesOfInterest) {