diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwbase/soundmanager.hpp b/apps/openmw/mwbase/soundmanager.hpp
index a02a463dd..bc2f3f1c6 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwbase/soundmanager.hpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwbase/soundmanager.hpp
@@ -42,15 +42,21 @@ namespace MWBase
                 Play_NoTrack = 1<<2, /* (3D only) Play the sound at the given object's position
                                       * but do not keep it updated (the sound will not move with
                                       * the object and will not stop when the object is deleted. */
-
-                Play_LoopNoEnv = Play_Loop | Play_NoEnv
+                Play_RemoveAtDistance = 1<<3, /* (3D only) If the listener gets further than 2000 units away
+                                                from the sound source, the sound is removed.
+                                                This is weird stuff but apparently how vanilla works for sounds
+                                                played by the PlayLoopSound family of script functions. Perhaps we
+                                                can make this cut off a more subtle fade later, but have to
+                                                be careful to not change the overall volume of areas by too much. */
+                Play_LoopNoEnv = Play_Loop | Play_NoEnv,
+                Play_LoopRemoveAtDistance = Play_Loop | Play_RemoveAtDistance
             };
             enum PlayType {
-                Play_TypeSfx   = 1<<3, /* Normal SFX sound */
-                Play_TypeVoice = 1<<4, /* Voice sound */
-                Play_TypeFoot  = 1<<5, /* Footstep sound */
-                Play_TypeMusic = 1<<6, /* Music track */
-                Play_TypeMovie = 1<<7, /* Movie audio track */
+                Play_TypeSfx   = 1<<4, /* Normal SFX sound */
+                Play_TypeVoice = 1<<5, /* Voice sound */
+                Play_TypeFoot  = 1<<6, /* Footstep sound */
+                Play_TypeMusic = 1<<7, /* Music track */
+                Play_TypeMovie = 1<<8, /* Movie audio track */
                 Play_TypeMask  = Play_TypeSfx|Play_TypeVoice|Play_TypeFoot|Play_TypeMusic|Play_TypeMovie
             };
 
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwscript/soundextensions.cpp b/apps/openmw/mwscript/soundextensions.cpp
index 73c3ec93a..606de7aa0 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwscript/soundextensions.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwscript/soundextensions.cpp
@@ -121,8 +121,8 @@ namespace MWScript
 
                     MWBase::Environment::get().getSoundManager()->playSound3D(ptr, sound, 1.0, 1.0,
                                                                               MWBase::SoundManager::Play_TypeSfx,
-                                                                              mLoop ? MWBase::SoundManager::Play_Loop :
-                                                                                      MWBase::SoundManager::Play_Normal);
+                                                                              mLoop ? MWBase::SoundManager::Play_LoopRemoveAtDistance
+                                                                                     : MWBase::SoundManager::Play_Normal);
                 }
         };
 
@@ -150,8 +150,8 @@ namespace MWScript
 
                     MWBase::Environment::get().getSoundManager()->playSound3D(ptr, sound, volume, pitch,
                                                                               MWBase::SoundManager::Play_TypeSfx,
-                                                                              mLoop ? MWBase::SoundManager::Play_Loop :
-                                                                                      MWBase::SoundManager::Play_Normal);
+                                                                              mLoop ? MWBase::SoundManager::Play_LoopRemoveAtDistance
+                                                                                    : MWBase::SoundManager::Play_Normal);
 
                 }
         };
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwsound/openal_output.cpp b/apps/openmw/mwsound/openal_output.cpp
index fcdc60ee3..bc9478945 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwsound/openal_output.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwsound/openal_output.cpp
@@ -628,7 +628,9 @@ void OpenAL_Sound3D::update()
 {
     ALfloat gain = mVolume*mBaseVolume;
     ALfloat pitch = mPitch;
-    if(!(mFlags&MWBase::SoundManager::Play_NoEnv) && mOutput.mLastEnvironment == Env_Underwater)
+    if(mPos.squaredDistance(mOutput.mPos) > mMaxDistance*mMaxDistance)
+        gain = 0.0f;
+    else if(!(mFlags&MWBase::SoundManager::Play_NoEnv) && mOutput.mLastEnvironment == Env_Underwater)
     {
         gain *= 0.9f;
         pitch *= 0.7f;
@@ -694,7 +696,7 @@ void OpenAL_Output::init(const std::string &devname)
         fail(std::string("Failed to setup context: ")+alcGetString(mDevice, alcGetError(mDevice)));
     }
 
-    alDistanceModel(AL_INVERSE_DISTANCE);
+    alDistanceModel(AL_INVERSE_DISTANCE_CLAMPED);
     throwALerror();
 
     ALCint maxmono=0, maxstereo=0;
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwsound/soundmanagerimp.cpp b/apps/openmw/mwsound/soundmanagerimp.cpp
index 251b05890..d856f41ee 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwsound/soundmanagerimp.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwsound/soundmanagerimp.cpp
@@ -385,6 +385,11 @@ namespace MWSound
             const ESM::Position &pos = ptr.getRefData().getPosition();
             const Ogre::Vector3 objpos(pos.pos);
 
+            if ((mode & Play_RemoveAtDistance) && mListenerPos.squaredDistance(objpos) > 2000*2000)
+            {
+                return MWBase::SoundPtr();
+            }
+
             sound = mOutput->playSound3D(file, objpos, volume, basevol, pitch, min, max, mode|type, offset);
             if((mode&Play_NoTrack))
                 mActiveSounds[sound] = std::make_pair(MWWorld::Ptr(), soundId);
@@ -650,6 +655,13 @@ namespace MWSound
                     const ESM::Position &pos = ptr.getRefData().getPosition();
                     const Ogre::Vector3 objpos(pos.pos);
                     snditer->first->setPosition(objpos);
+
+                    if ((snditer->first->mFlags & Play_RemoveAtDistance)
+                            && mListenerPos.squaredDistance(Ogre::Vector3(ptr.getRefData().getPosition().pos)) > 2000*2000)
+                    {
+                        mActiveSounds.erase(snditer++);
+                        continue;
+                    }
                 }
                 //update fade out
                 if(snditer->first->mFadeOutTime>0)