diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index dba3f2649..dd9c6903b 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -1,21 +1,37 @@
 language: c
 matrix:
   include:
-    - os: linux
-      env: DESCR=linux-xenial-gcc HINTS=linux
+    - name: linux-xenial-gcc
+      os: linux
+      env: HINTS=linux LUA_VERSION=5.3.5
       compiler: gcc
-      script: "cd sys/unix/ && sh setup.sh hints/$HINTS && cd ../../ && make fetch-lua && make install"
-    - os: linux
-      env: DESCR=linux-bionic-gcc HINTS=linux
+      script:
+        - cd sys/unix/ && sh setup.sh hints/$HINTS && cd ../../
+        - make fetch-lua
+        - test -d "lib/lua-$LUA_VERSION/src" || exit 0
+        - make install
+    - name: linux-bionic-gcc
+      os: linux
+      env: HINTS=linux LUA_VERSION=5.3.5
       dist: bionic
       compiler: gcc
-      script: "cd sys/unix/ && sh setup.sh hints/$HINTS && cd ../../ && make fetch-lua && make install"
-    - os: linux
-      env: DESCR=linux-xenial-clang HINTS=linux
+      script:
+        - cd sys/unix/ && sh setup.sh hints/$HINTS && cd ../../
+        - make fetch-lua
+        - test -d "lib/lua-$LUA_VERSION/src" || exit 0
+        - make install
+    - name: linux-xenial-clang
+      os: linux
+      env: HINTS=linux LUA_VERSION=5.3.5
       compiler: clang
-      script: "cd sys/unix/ && sh setup.sh hints/$HINTS && cd ../../ && make fetch-lua && make install"
-    - os: linux
-      env: DESCR=linux-xenial-gcc-x11 HINTS=linux-x11
+      script:
+        - cd sys/unix/ && sh setup.sh hints/$HINTS && cd ../../
+        - make fetch-lua
+        - test -d "lib/lua-$LUA_VERSION/src" || exit 0
+        - make install
+    - name: linux-xenial-gcc-x11
+      os: linux
+      env: HINTS=linux-x11 LUA_VERSION=5.3.5
       compiler: gcc
       addons:
         apt:
@@ -23,9 +39,14 @@ matrix:
             - libx11-dev
             - libxaw7-dev
             - xfonts-utils
-      script: "cd sys/unix/ && sh setup.sh hints/$HINTS && cd ../../ && make fetch-lua && make install"
-    - os: linux
-      env: DESCR=linux-xenial-gcc-qt5 HINTS=linux-qt5
+      script:
+        - cd sys/unix/ && sh setup.sh hints/$HINTS && cd ../../
+        - make fetch-lua
+        - test -d "lib/lua-$LUA_VERSION/src" || exit 0
+        - make install
+    - name: linux-xenial-gcc-qt5
+      os: linux
+      env: HINTS=linux-qt5 LUA_VERSION=5.3.5
       compiler: gcc
       addons:
         apt:
@@ -36,9 +57,14 @@ matrix:
             - qtbase5-dev
             - qtmultimedia5-dev
             - qtbase5-dev-tools
-      script: "cd sys/unix/ && sh setup.sh hints/$HINTS && cd ../../ && make fetch-lua && make QT_SELECT=5 MOC=moc install"
-    - os: linux
-      env: DESCR=linux-bionic-gcc-x11 HINTS=linux-x11
+      script:
+        - cd sys/unix/ && sh setup.sh hints/$HINTS && cd ../../
+        - make fetch-lua
+        - test -d "lib/lua-$LUA_VERSION/src" || exit 0
+        - make QT_SELECT=5 MOC=moc install
+    - name: linux-bionic-gcc-x11
+      os: linux
+      env: HINTS=linux-x11 LUA_VERSION=5.3.5
       dist: bionic
       compiler: gcc
       addons:
@@ -47,9 +73,14 @@ matrix:
             - libx11-dev
             - libxaw7-dev
             - xfonts-utils
-      script: "cd sys/unix/ && sh setup.sh hints/$HINTS && cd ../../ && make fetch-lua && make install"
-    - os: linux
-      env: DESCR=linux-xenial-gcc-minimal HINTS=linux-minimal
+      script:
+        - cd sys/unix/ && sh setup.sh hints/$HINTS && cd ../../
+        - make fetch-lua
+        - test -d "lib/lua-$LUA_VERSION/src" || exit 0
+        - make install
+    - name: linux-xenial-gcc-minimal
+      os: linux
+      env: HINTS=linux-minimal LUA_VERSION=5.3.5
       compiler: gcc
       script: |
               cd sys/unix/ && sh setup.sh hints/$HINTS && cd ../../
@@ -72,31 +103,37 @@ matrix:
               sed -i '/^#define SHELL/d'          include/unixconf.h
               sed -i '/^#define SUSPEND/d'        include/unixconf.h
               sed -i 's/^#define TEXTCOLOR//'     include/unixconf.h
-              make fetch-lua && make install
+              make fetch-lua
+              test -d "lib/lua-$LUA_VERSION/src" || exit 0
+              make install
               cat dat/options
-    - os: windows
-      env: DESCR=windows-visualstudio
+    - name: windows-visualstudio
+      os: windows
       language: shell
       script:
         - ./win/win32/vs2017/travisci.sh
-    - os: windows
+    - name: windows-mingw
+      os: windows
 #     install: choco install mingw
-      env: DESCR=windows-mingw
       script:
         - sh sys/winnt/travis-gcc.sh
+        - test -d "lib/lua-$LUA_VERSION/src" || exit 0
+        - test -d "lib/pdcurses" || exit 0
         - export ADD_CURSES=Y
         - export PDCURSES_TOP=../lib/pdcurses
         - export LUA_VERSION=5.3.5
         - cd src
         - cp ../sys/winnt/Makefile.gcc ./Makefile
         - mingw32-make install
-    - os: linux
-      env: DESCR=msdos-cross-on-linux HINTS=linux LUA_VERSION=5.3.5
+    - name: msdos crosscompile on linux
+      os: linux
+      env: HINTS=linux LUA_VERSION=5.3.5
       compiler: gcc
       script:
 #        - export
         - cd sys/unix/ && sh setup.sh hints/$HINTS && cd ../../
         - make fetch-lua
+        - test -d "lib/lua-$LUA_VERSION/src" || exit 0
         - cd lib/lua-$LUA_VERSION/src && make a && cd ../../.. 
         - sh sys/msdos/msdos-cross-compile.sh
   exclude:
diff --git a/sys/msdos/msdos-cross-compile.sh b/sys/msdos/msdos-cross-compile.sh
index 4dd7ee617..3de2b701b 100644
--- a/sys/msdos/msdos-cross-compile.sh
+++ b/sys/msdos/msdos-cross-compile.sh
@@ -74,6 +74,12 @@ fi
 
 cd ../
 
+# Don't fail the build if lua fetch failed because we cannot do anything about it
+# but don't bother proceeding forward either
+if [ ! -d "lib/lua-$LUA_VERSION/src" ]; then
+        exit 0
+fi
+
 #echo after dos extender
 
 cd src
diff --git a/sys/winnt/travis-gcc.sh b/sys/winnt/travis-gcc.sh
index 562b1a142..6f731cea8 100644
--- a/sys/winnt/travis-gcc.sh
+++ b/sys/winnt/travis-gcc.sh
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ set -x
 mkdir -p lib
 cd lib
 git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/wmcbrine/PDCurses.git pdcurses
-git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/universal-ctags/ctags.git ctags
+#git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/universal-ctags/ctags.git ctags
 curl -R -O http://www.lua.org/ftp/lua-5.3.5.tar.gz
 tar zxf lua-5.3.5.tar.gz
 cd ../
diff --git a/win/win32/vs2017/travisci.sh b/win/win32/vs2017/travisci.sh
index b3e7de13e..7c16f6c9c 100644
--- a/win/win32/vs2017/travisci.sh
+++ b/win/win32/vs2017/travisci.sh
@@ -24,15 +24,21 @@ export LIB=/c/Program\ Files\ \(x86\)/Microsoft\ Visual\ Studio/$VSVER/$TOOLSVER
 export LIB=/c/Program\ Files\ \(x86\)/Microsoft\ Visual\ Studio/$VSVER/$TOOLSVER/VC/Tools/MSVC/$MSVER/lib/x86:$LIB
 export LIB=/c/Program\ Files\ \(x86\)/Windows\ Kits/10/lib/$WKITVER/ucrt/x86:$LIB
 export LIB=/c/Program\ Files\ \(x86\)/Windows\ Kits/10/lib/$WKITVER/um/x86:$LIB
+export LUA_VERSION=5.3.5
 mkdir -p lib
 cd lib
 git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/wmcbrine/PDCurses.git pdcurses
-git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/universal-ctags/ctags.git ctags
+#git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/universal-ctags/ctags.git ctags
 curl -R -O http://www.lua.org/ftp/lua-5.3.5.tar.gz
 tar zxf lua-5.3.5.tar.gz
-cd ctags
-nmake -f mk_mvc.mak
-cd ../../
+#cd ctags
+#nmake -f mk_mvc.mak
+#cd ../../
+cd ../
+test -d "lib/lua-$LUA_VERSION/src" || echo "Lua-$LUA_VERSION fetch failed"
+test -d "lib/pdcurses" || echo "pdcurses fetch failed"
+test -d "lib/pdcurses" || exit 0
+test -d "lib/lua-$LUA_VERSION/src" || exit 0
 export ADD_CURSES=Y
 export PDCURSES_TOP=../lib/pdcurses
 export