diff --git a/Core/GameEngine/Include/GameClient/ParticleSys.h b/Core/GameEngine/Include/GameClient/ParticleSys.h
index acd504f6838..93d1232efb8 100644
--- a/Core/GameEngine/Include/GameClient/ParticleSys.h
+++ b/Core/GameEngine/Include/GameClient/ParticleSys.h
@@ -508,6 +508,10 @@ class ParticleSystemTemplate : public MemoryPoolObject, protected ParticleSystem
 {
 	MEMORY_POOL_GLUE_WITH_USERLOOKUP_CREATE( ParticleSystemTemplate, "ParticleSystemTemplatePool" )
 
+#if PRESERVE_RETAIL_PARTICLES
+	friend INI;
+#endif
+
 public:
 	ParticleSystemTemplate( const AsciiString &name );
 
@@ -606,7 +610,7 @@ class ParticleSystem : public MemoryPoolObject,
 	Bool isUsingDrawables() { return (m_particleType == DRAWABLE) ? true : false; }
 	Bool isUsingStreak() { return (m_particleType == STREAK) ? true : false; }
 	Bool isUsingSmudge() { return (m_particleType == SMUDGE) ? true : false; }
-	UnsignedInt getVolumeParticleDepth() { return ( m_particleType == VOLUME_PARTICLE ) ? OPTIMUM_VOLUME_PARTICLE_DEPTH : 0; }
+	UnsignedInt getVolumeParticleDepth() { return ( m_particleType == VOLUME_PARTICLE ) ? m_volumeParticleDepth : DEFAULT_VOLUME_PARTICLE_DEPTH; }
 
 	Bool shouldBillboard() { return !m_isGroundAligned; }
 
diff --git a/Core/GameEngine/Source/Common/INI/INIParticleSys.cpp b/Core/GameEngine/Source/Common/INI/INIParticleSys.cpp
index fd0b84d5182..e4bc891ee6b 100644
--- a/Core/GameEngine/Source/Common/INI/INIParticleSys.cpp
+++ b/Core/GameEngine/Source/Common/INI/INIParticleSys.cpp
@@ -54,4 +54,19 @@ void INI::parseParticleSystemDefinition( INI* ini )
 
 	// parse the ini definition
 	ini->initFromINI( sysTemplate, sysTemplate->getFieldParse() );
+
+#if PRESERVE_RETAIL_PARTICLES
+	// TheSuperHackers @info Hack to allow isUsingSmudge() functionality with retail smudge particles
+	// The retail data template for smudge particles is not correctly configured with the smudge particle type
+	if (sysTemplate->m_particleType != ParticleSystemInfo::SMUDGE && sysTemplate->m_particleTypeName.startsWithNoCase("SMUDGE."))
+	{
+		sysTemplate->m_particleType = ParticleSystemInfo::SMUDGE;
+	}
+
+	// In retail, volume particle depth was not setup through ini and was hard coded to a particle depth of 6
+	if (sysTemplate->m_particleType == ParticleSystemInfo::VOLUME_PARTICLE && sysTemplate->m_volumeParticleDepth == DEFAULT_VOLUME_PARTICLE_DEPTH)
+	{
+		sysTemplate->m_volumeParticleDepth = OPTIMUM_VOLUME_PARTICLE_DEPTH;
+	}
+#endif
 }
diff --git a/Core/GameEngine/Source/GameClient/System/ParticleSys.cpp b/Core/GameEngine/Source/GameClient/System/ParticleSys.cpp
index 4d6441d3855..05b6e95d199 100644
--- a/Core/GameEngine/Source/GameClient/System/ParticleSys.cpp
+++ b/Core/GameEngine/Source/GameClient/System/ParticleSys.cpp
@@ -1095,7 +1095,7 @@ ParticleSystem::ParticleSystem( const ParticleSystemTemplate *sysTemplate,
 
 
 	///@todo: further formalize this parameter with an UnsignedInt field in the editor
-	m_volumeParticleDepth = DEFAULT_VOLUME_PARTICLE_DEPTH;
+	m_volumeParticleDepth = sysTemplate->m_volumeParticleDepth;
 
 
 	m_driftVelocity = sysTemplate->m_driftVelocity;
@@ -1190,15 +1190,6 @@ ParticleSystem::ParticleSystem( const ParticleSystemTemplate *sysTemplate,
 	m_particleType = sysTemplate->m_particleType;
 	m_particleTypeName = sysTemplate->m_particleTypeName;
 
-#if PRESERVE_RETAIL_PARTICLES
-	// TheSuperHackers @info Hack to allow isUsingSmudge() functionality with retail smudge particles
-	// The retail data template for smudge particles is not correctly configured with the smudge particle type
-	if (m_particleType != ParticleType::SMUDGE && m_particleTypeName.startsWithNoCase("SMUDGE."))
-	{
-		m_particleType = ParticleType::SMUDGE;
-	}
-#endif
-
 	m_isStopped = false;
 
 	// set up slave particle system, if any
@@ -2698,6 +2689,9 @@ const FieldParse ParticleSystemTemplate::m_fieldParseTable[] =
 	{ "SizeRate",								INI::parseGameClientRandomVariable,	nullptr,		offsetof( ParticleSystemTemplate, m_sizeRate ) },
 	{ "SizeRateDamping",				INI::parseGameClientRandomVariable,	nullptr,		offsetof( ParticleSystemTemplate, m_sizeRateDamping ) },
 
+	// TheSuperHackers @feature Volume particle depth is now exposed for configuration
+	{ "VolParticleDepth",				INI::parseUnsignedInt,							nullptr,		offsetof(ParticleSystemTemplate, m_volumeParticleDepth) },
+
 	{ "Alpha1",									ParticleSystemTemplate::parseRandomKeyframe,	nullptr,		offsetof( ParticleSystemTemplate, m_alphaKey[0] ) },
 	{ "Alpha2",									ParticleSystemTemplate::parseRandomKeyframe,	nullptr,		offsetof( ParticleSystemTemplate, m_alphaKey[1] ) },
 	{ "Alpha3",									ParticleSystemTemplate::parseRandomKeyframe,	nullptr,		offsetof( ParticleSystemTemplate, m_alphaKey[2] ) },
diff --git a/GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameLogic/ScriptEngine/ScriptEngine.cpp b/GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameLogic/ScriptEngine/ScriptEngine.cpp
index d10dff653a1..8bb3f96537e 100644
--- a/GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameLogic/ScriptEngine/ScriptEngine.cpp
+++ b/GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameLogic/ScriptEngine/ScriptEngine.cpp
@@ -9725,6 +9725,7 @@ static const std::string F_SIZE =					"Size";
 static const std::string F_STARTSIZERATE ="StartSizeRate";
 static const std::string F_SIZERATE =			"SizeRate";
 static const std::string F_SIZERATEDAMP =	"SizeRateDamping";
+static const std::string F_VOLPARTICLEDEPTH = "VolParticleDepth";
 
 static const std::string F_ALPHA1 =				"Alpha1";
 static const std::string F_ALPHA2 =				"Alpha2";
@@ -9887,6 +9888,9 @@ void _writeSingleParticleSystem( File *out, ParticleSystemTemplate *templ )
 	sprintf(buff2, FORMAT_STRING, templ->m_sizeRateDamping.getMaximumValue());
 	thisEntry.append(SEP_HEAD).append(F_SIZERATEDAMP).append(EQ_WITH_SPACES).append(buff1).append(SEP_SPACE).append(buff2).append(SEP_EOL);
 
+	sprintf(buff1, "%d", templ->m_volumeParticleDepth);
+	thisEntry.append(SEP_HEAD).append(F_VOLPARTICLEDEPTH).append(EQ_WITH_SPACES).append(buff1).append(SEP_EOL);
+
 	sprintf(buff1, FORMAT_STRING, templ->m_alphaKey[0].var.getMinimumValue());
 	sprintf(buff2, FORMAT_STRING, templ->m_alphaKey[0].var.getMaximumValue());
 	sprintf(buff3, "%d", templ->m_alphaKey[0].frame);