diff --git a/src/botl.c b/src/botl.c
index 49cb38154..30705c6e0 100644
--- a/src/botl.c
+++ b/src/botl.c
@@ -652,7 +652,8 @@ bot()
      * To work around it, we call status_update() with fictitious
      * index of BL_FLUSH (-1).
      */
-    if (context.botlx && !updated)
+    if ((context.botlx && !updated)
+        || windowprocs.win_status_update == genl_status_update)
         status_update(BL_FLUSH, (genericptr_t) 0, 0, 0);
 
     context.botl = context.botlx = 0;
@@ -796,7 +797,7 @@ boolean
                                   (!flags.showexp || Upolyd) ? FALSE : TRUE);
             break;
         case BL_CONDITION:
-            fieldfmt = "%S";
+            fieldfmt = "%s";
             fieldname = "condition";
             status_enablefield(fld, fieldname, fieldfmt, TRUE);
             break;
diff --git a/src/windows.c b/src/windows.c
index ce6691347..bdbd76e2d 100644
--- a/src/windows.c
+++ b/src/windows.c
@@ -817,6 +817,7 @@ void
 genl_status_init()
 {
     int i;
+
     for (i = 0; i < MAXBLSTATS; ++i) {
         status_vals[i] = (char *) alloc(MAXCO);
         *status_vals[i] = '\0';
@@ -837,8 +838,7 @@ genl_status_finish()
     /* free alloc'd memory here */
     for (i = 0; i < MAXBLSTATS; ++i) {
         if (status_vals[i])
-            free((genericptr_t) status_vals[i]);
-        status_vals[i] = (char *) 0;
+            free((genericptr_t) status_vals[i]), status_vals[i] = (char *) 0;
     }
 }
 
@@ -854,6 +854,7 @@ boolean enable;
     status_activefields[fieldidx] = enable;
 }
 
+/* call once for each field, then call with BL_FLUSH to output the result */
 void
 genl_status_update(idx, ptr, chg, percent)
 int idx;
@@ -863,15 +864,37 @@ int chg UNUSED, percent UNUSED;
     char newbot1[MAXCO], newbot2[MAXCO];
     long cond, *condptr = (long *) ptr;
     register int i;
-    char *text = (char *) ptr;
+    unsigned pass, lndelta;
+    enum statusfields idx1, idx2, *fieldlist;
+    char *nb, *text = (char *) ptr;
 
-    enum statusfields fieldorder[2][15] = {
+    static enum statusfields fieldorder[][15] = {
+        /* line one */
         { BL_TITLE, BL_STR, BL_DX, BL_CO, BL_IN, BL_WI, BL_CH, BL_ALIGN,
           BL_SCORE, BL_FLUSH, BL_FLUSH, BL_FLUSH, BL_FLUSH, BL_FLUSH,
           BL_FLUSH },
-        { BL_LEVELDESC, BL_GOLD, BL_HP, BL_HPMAX, BL_ENE, BL_ENEMAX,
-          BL_AC, BL_XP, BL_EXP, BL_HD, BL_TIME, BL_HUNGER,
-          BL_CAP, BL_CONDITION, BL_FLUSH }
+        /* line two, default order */
+        { BL_LEVELDESC, BL_GOLD,
+          BL_HP, BL_HPMAX, BL_ENE, BL_ENEMAX, BL_AC,
+          BL_XP, BL_EXP, BL_HD,
+          BL_TIME,
+          BL_HUNGER, BL_CAP, BL_CONDITION,
+          BL_FLUSH },
+        /* move time to the end */
+        { BL_LEVELDESC, BL_GOLD,
+          BL_HP, BL_HPMAX, BL_ENE, BL_ENEMAX, BL_AC,
+          BL_XP, BL_EXP, BL_HD,
+          BL_HUNGER, BL_CAP, BL_CONDITION,
+          BL_TIME, BL_FLUSH },
+        /* move experience and time to the end */
+        { BL_LEVELDESC, BL_GOLD,
+          BL_HP, BL_HPMAX, BL_ENE, BL_ENEMAX, BL_AC,
+          BL_HUNGER, BL_CAP, BL_CONDITION,
+          BL_XP, BL_EXP, BL_HD, BL_TIME, BL_FLUSH },
+        /* move level description plus gold and experience and time to end */
+        { BL_HP, BL_HPMAX, BL_ENE, BL_ENEMAX, BL_AC,
+          BL_HUNGER, BL_CAP, BL_CONDITION,
+          BL_LEVELDESC, BL_GOLD, BL_XP, BL_EXP, BL_HD, BL_TIME, BL_FLUSH },
     };
 
     if (idx != BL_FLUSH) {
@@ -880,54 +903,117 @@ int chg UNUSED, percent UNUSED;
         switch (idx) {
         case BL_CONDITION:
             cond = *condptr;
-            *status_vals[idx] = '\0';
+            nb = status_vals[idx];
+            *nb = '\0';
             if (cond & BL_MASK_STONE)
-                Strcat(status_vals[idx], " Stone");
+                Strcpy(nb = eos(nb), " Stone");
             if (cond & BL_MASK_SLIME)
-                Strcat(status_vals[idx], " Slime");
+                Strcpy(nb = eos(nb), " Slime");
             if (cond & BL_MASK_STRNGL)
-                Strcat(status_vals[idx], " Strngl");
+                Strcpy(nb = eos(nb), " Strngl");
             if (cond & BL_MASK_FOODPOIS)
-                Strcat(status_vals[idx], " FoodPois");
+                Strcpy(nb = eos(nb), " FoodPois");
             if (cond & BL_MASK_TERMILL)
-                Strcat(status_vals[idx], " TermIll");
+                Strcpy(nb = eos(nb), " TermIll");
             if (cond & BL_MASK_BLIND)
-                Strcat(status_vals[idx], " Blind");
+                Strcpy(nb = eos(nb), " Blind");
             if (cond & BL_MASK_DEAF)
-                Strcat(status_vals[idx], " Deaf");
+                Strcpy(nb = eos(nb), " Deaf");
             if (cond & BL_MASK_STUN)
-                Strcat(status_vals[idx], " Stun");
+                Strcpy(nb = eos(nb), " Stun");
             if (cond & BL_MASK_CONF)
-                Strcat(status_vals[idx], " Conf");
+                Strcpy(nb = eos(nb), " Conf");
             if (cond & BL_MASK_HALLU)
-                Strcat(status_vals[idx], " Hallu");
+                Strcpy(nb = eos(nb), " Hallu");
             if (cond & BL_MASK_LEV)
-                Strcat(status_vals[idx], " Lev");
+                Strcpy(nb = eos(nb), " Lev");
             if (cond & BL_MASK_FLY)
-                Strcat(status_vals[idx], " Fly");
+                Strcpy(nb = eos(nb), " Fly");
             if (cond & BL_MASK_RIDE)
-                Strcat(status_vals[idx], " Ride");
+                Strcpy(nb = eos(nb), " Ride");
             break;
         default:
             Sprintf(status_vals[idx],
                     status_fieldfmt[idx] ? status_fieldfmt[idx] : "%s", text);
             break;
         }
-    }
+        return; /* processed one field other than BL_FLUSH */
+    } /* (idx != BL_FLUSH) */
 
-    /* This genl version updates everything on the display, everytime */
-    newbot1[0] = '\0';
-    for (i = 0; fieldorder[0][i] != BL_FLUSH; ++i) {
-        int idx1 = fieldorder[0][i];
+    /* We've received BL_FLUSH; time to output the gathered data */
+    nb = newbot1;
+    *nb = '\0';
+    for (i = 0; (idx1 = fieldorder[0][i]) != BL_FLUSH; ++i) {
         if (status_activefields[idx1])
-            Strcat(newbot1, status_vals[idx1]);
-    }
-    newbot2[0] = '\0';
-    for (i = 0; fieldorder[1][i] != BL_FLUSH; ++i) {
-        int idx2 = fieldorder[1][i];
-        if (status_activefields[idx2])
-            Strcat(newbot2, status_vals[idx2]);
+            Strcpy(nb = eos(nb), status_vals[idx1]);
     }
+    /* if '$' is encoded, buffer length of \GXXXXNNNN is 9 greater than
+       single char; we want to subtract that 9 when checking display length */
+    lndelta = (status_activefields[BL_GOLD]
+               && strstr(status_vals[BL_GOLD], "\\G")) ? 9 : 0;
+    /* basic bot2 formats groups of second line fields into five buffers,
+       then decides how to order those buffers based on comparing lengths
+       of [sub]sets of them to the width of the map; we have more control
+       here but currently emulate that behavior */
+    for (pass = 1; pass <= 4; pass++) {
+        fieldlist = fieldorder[pass];
+        nb = newbot2;
+        *nb = '\0';
+        for (i = 0; (idx2 = fieldlist[i]) != BL_FLUSH; ++i) {
+            if (status_activefields[idx2]) {
+                const char *val = status_vals[idx2];
+
+                switch (idx2) {
+                case BL_HP: /* for pass 4, Hp comes first; mungspaces()
+                               will strip the unwanted leading spaces */
+                case BL_XP: case BL_HD:
+                case BL_TIME:
+                    Strcpy(nb = eos(nb), " ");
+                    break;
+                case BL_LEVELDESC:
+                    /* leveldesc has no leading space, so if we've moved
+                       it past the first position, provide one */
+                    if (i != 0)
+                        Strcpy(nb = eos(nb), " ");
+                    break;
+                /*
+                 * We want "  hunger encumbrance conditions"
+                 *   or    "  encumbrance conditions"
+                 *   or    "  hunger conditions"
+                 *   or    "  conditions"
+                 * 'hunger'      is either " " or " hunger_text";
+                 * 'encumbrance' is either " " or " encumbrance_text";
+                 * 'conditions'  is either ""  or " cond1 cond2...".
+                 */
+                case BL_HUNGER:
+                    /* hunger==" " - keep it, end up with " ";
+                       hunger!=" " - insert space and get "  hunger" */
+                    if (strcmp(val, " "))
+                        Strcpy(nb = eos(nb), " ");
+                    break;
+                case BL_CAP:
+                    /* cap==" " - suppress it, retain "  hunger" or " ";
+                       cap!=" " - use it, get "  hunger cap" or "  cap" */
+                    if (!strcmp(val, " "))
+                        ++val;
+                    break;
+                default:
+                    break;
+                }
+                Strcpy(nb = eos(nb), val); /* status_vals[idx2] */
+            } /* status_activefields[idx2] */
+
+            if (idx2 == BL_CONDITION && pass < 4
+                && strlen(newbot2) - lndelta > COLNO)
+                break; /* switch to next order */
+        } /* i */
+
+        if (idx2 == BL_FLUSH) { /* made it past BL_CONDITION */
+            if (pass > 1)
+                mungspaces(newbot2);
+            break;
+        }
+    } /* pass */
     curs(WIN_STATUS, 1, 0);
     putstr(WIN_STATUS, 0, newbot1);
     curs(WIN_STATUS, 1, 1);
@@ -937,9 +1023,9 @@ int chg UNUSED, percent UNUSED;
 #ifdef STATUS_HILITES
 void
 genl_status_threshold(fldidx, thresholdtype, threshold, behavior, under, over)
-int fldidx, thresholdtype;
-int behavior, under, over;
-anything threshold;
+int fldidx UNUSED, thresholdtype UNUSED;
+anything threshold UNUSED;
+int behavior UNUSED, under UNUSED, over UNUSED;
 {
     return;
 }
diff --git a/util/makedefs.c b/util/makedefs.c
index a20660c7c..f8acd34a6 100644
--- a/util/makedefs.c
+++ b/util/makedefs.c
@@ -1405,6 +1405,15 @@ static const char *build_opts[] = {
 #ifdef SHELL
     "shell command",
 #endif
+#ifdef STATUS_VIA_WINDOWPORT
+# ifdef STATUS_HILITES
+    "status via windowport with highlighting",
+# else
+    "status via windowport without highlighting",
+# endif
+#else
+    "traditional status display",
+#endif
 #ifdef SUSPEND
     "suspend command",
 #endif