diff --git a/code/map_data_calc_tools.js b/code/map_data_calc_tools.js
index dae02f93..7f0407eb 100755
--- a/code/map_data_calc_tools.js
+++ b/code/map_data_calc_tools.js
@@ -17,9 +17,36 @@ window.getMapZoomTileParameters = function(zoom) {
   MAX_TILES_PER_EDGE = 9000;
   ZOOM_TO_LEVEL = [8, 8, 8, 8, 7, 7, 7, 6, 6, 5, 4, 4, 3, 2, 2, 1, 1];
 
+  // the current API allows the client to request a minimum portal level. the ZOOM_TO_LEVEL list are minimums
+  // however, in my view, this can return excessive numbers of portals in many cases. let's try an optional reduction
+  // of detail level at some zoom levels
+
+  var level = ZOOM_TO_LEVEL[zoom] || 0;  // default to level 0 (all portals) if not in array
+
+  if (window.CONFIG_ZOOM_SHOW_LESS_PORTALS_ZOOMED_OUT) {
+    switch(level) {
+      case 7:
+        // usually L7+ portals - switch to L8 only
+        level = 8;
+        break;
+      case 6:
+        // usually L6+ portals - switch to L7+
+        level = 7;
+        break;
+
+      case 5:
+      case 4:
+        // level 4+ and 5+ - switch to L6+
+        level = 6;
+        break;
+
+      // no modifications for lower levels
+    }
+  }
 
   return {
-    level: ZOOM_TO_LEVEL[zoom] || 0,  // default to level 0 (all portals) if not in array
+    level: level,
+    maxLevel: ZOOM_TO_LEVEL[zoom] || 0,  // for reference, for log purposes, etc
     tilesPerEdge: ZOOM_TO_TILES_PER_EDGE[zoom] || MAX_TILES_PER_EDGE,
     zoom: zoom  // include the zoom level, for reference
   };
@@ -37,63 +64,31 @@ window.getDataZoomForMapZoom = function(zoom) {
     zoom = 20;
   }
 
+  var origTileParams = getMapZoomTileParameters(zoom);
+
   if (!window.CONFIG_ZOOM_DEFAULT_DETAIL_LEVEL) {
-    // some reasonable optimisations of data retreival
 
-    switch(zoom) {
-      case 2:
-      case 3:
-        // L8 portals - fall back to the furthest out view. less detail, faster retreival. cache advantages when zooming
-        // (note: iitc + stock both limited so zoom 0 never possible)
-        zoom = 1;
-        break;
-
-      case 4:
-        // default is L7 - but this is a crazy number of tiles. fall back to L8 (but higher detail than above)
-        // (the back-end does, unfortunately, rarely (never?) returns large fields with L8-only portals
-        zoom = 3;
-        break;
-
-      case 5:
-      case 6:
-        // default L7 - pull out to furthest L7 zoom
-        zoom = 4;
-        break;
-
-      case 8:
-        // default L6 - pull back to highest L6 zoom
-        zoom = 7;
-        break;
-
-      // L5 portals - only one zoom level
-
-      case 11:
-        // default L4 - pull back to lower detail L4
-        zoom = 10;
-        break;
-
-      // L3 portals - only one zoom level
-
-      case 14:
-        // L2 portals - pull back to furthest
-        zoom = 13;
-        break;
-
-      case 16:
-        // L1 portals - pull back to furthest zoom
-        zoom = 15;
-        break;
-
-      default:
-        if (zoom >= 18) {
-          // all portals - pull back to furthest zoom
-          zoom = 17;
-        }
+    // to improve the cacheing performance, we try and limit the number of zoom levels we retrieve data for
+    // to avoid impacting server load, we keep ourselves restricted to a zoom level with the sane numbre
+    // of tilesPerEdge and portal levels visible
+
+    while (zoom > 1) {
+      var newTileParams = getMapZoomTileParameters(zoom-1);
+      if (newTileParams.tilesPerEdge != origTileParams.tilesPerEdge || newTileParams.level != origTileParams.level) {
+        // switching to zoom-1 would result in a different detail level - so we abort changing things
         break;
+      } else {
+        // changing to zoom = zoom-1 results in identical tile parameters - so we can safely step back
+        // with no increase in either server load or number of requests
+        zoom = zoom-1;
+      }
     }
+
   }
 
   if (window.CONFIG_ZOOM_SHOW_MORE_PORTALS) {
+    // this is, in theory, slightly 'unfriendly' to the servers. in practice, this isn't the case - and it can even be nicer
+    // as it vastly improves cacheing in IITC and also reduces the amount of panning/zooming a user would do
     if (zoom >= 15 && zoom <= 16) {
       //L1+ and closer zooms. the 'all portals' zoom uses the same tile size, so it's no harm to request things at that zoom level
       zoom = 17;
diff --git a/code/map_data_request.js b/code/map_data_request.js
index 702b3463..fe9f22ab 100644
--- a/code/map_data_request.js
+++ b/code/map_data_request.js
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ window.MapDataRequest = function() {
   this.MAX_REQUESTS = 5;
 
   // this many tiles in one request
-  this.NUM_TILES_PER_REQUEST = 10;
+  this.NUM_TILES_PER_REQUEST = 25;
 
   // number of times to retry a tile after an error (including "error: TIMEOUT" now - as stock intel does)
   // TODO? different retry counters for TIMEOUT vs other errors..?
@@ -232,7 +232,15 @@ window.MapDataRequest.prototype.refresh = function() {
 
   this.render.processGameEntities(artifact.getArtifactEntities());
 
-  console.log('requesting data tiles at zoom '+dataZoom+' (L'+tileParams.level+'+ portals, '+tileParams.tilesPerEdge+' tiles per global edge), map zoom is '+mapZoom);
+  var logMessage = 'requesting data tiles at zoom '+dataZoom;
+  if (tileParams.level != tileParams.maxLevel) {
+    logMessage += ' (L'+tileParams.level+'+ portals - could have doneug L'+tileParams.maxLevel+'+';
+  } else {
+    logMessage += ' (L'+tileParams.level+'+ portals';
+  }
+  logMessage += ', '+tileParams.tilesPerEdge+' tiles per global edge), map zoom is '+mapZoom;
+
+  console.log(logMessage);
 
 
   this.cachedTileCount = 0;
diff --git a/plugins/show-less-portals-zoomed-out.user.js b/plugins/show-less-portals-zoomed-out.user.js
index c18ae0c2..cd58731b 100644
--- a/plugins/show-less-portals-zoomed-out.user.js
+++ b/plugins/show-less-portals-zoomed-out.user.js
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 // ==UserScript==
 // @id             iitc-plugin-show-less-portals@jonatkins
 // @name           IITC plugin: Show less portals when zoomed out
-// @category       Deleted
-// @version        0.2.0.@@DATETIMEVERSION@@
+// @category       Tweaks
+// @version        0.3.0.@@DATETIMEVERSION@@
 // @namespace      https://github.com/jonatkins/ingress-intel-total-conversion
 // @updateURL      @@UPDATEURL@@
 // @downloadURL    @@DOWNLOADURL@@
-// @description    [@@BUILDNAME@@-@@BUILDDATE@@] IITC now defaults to showing fewer portals when zoomed out, making this plugin unnecessary.
+// @description    [@@BUILDNAME@@-@@BUILDDATE@@] Vastly reduce the detail level when zoomed out to level 11 or less (L4+ portals), to significantly reduce data usage when viewing large areas.
 // @include        https://www.ingress.com/intel*
 // @include        http://www.ingress.com/intel*
 // @match          https://www.ingress.com/intel*
@@ -14,3 +14,24 @@
 // @grant          none
 // ==/UserScript==
 
+@@PLUGINSTART@@
+
+// PLUGIN START ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+
+// use own namespace for plugin
+window.plugin.showLessPortalsZoomedOut = function() {};
+
+window.plugin.showLessPortalsZoomedOut.setup  = function() {
+
+// NOTE: the logic required is closely tied to the IITC+stock map detail level code - so the logic is moved there now
+// and just enabled by this flag
+  window.CONFIG_ZOOM_SHOW_LESS_PORTALS_ZOOMED_OUT=true;
+
+};
+
+var setup =  window.plugin.showLessPortalsZoomedOut.setup;
+
+// PLUGIN END //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+@@PLUGINEND@@