diff --git a/source/glest_game/main/main.cpp b/source/glest_game/main/main.cpp
index f47157bf..d11cb67a 100644
--- a/source/glest_game/main/main.cpp
+++ b/source/glest_game/main/main.cpp
@@ -3079,7 +3079,6 @@ int glestMain(int argc, char** argv) {
 		printf("%s %s",extractFileFromDirectoryPath(argv[0]).c_str(),getNetworkPlatformFreeVersionString().c_str());
 		printf("\nCompiled using: %s on: %s platform: %s endianness: %s",getCompilerNameString().c_str(),getCompileDateTime().c_str(),getPlatformNameString().c_str(),(Shared::PlatformByteOrder::isBigEndian() == true ? "big" : "little"));
 
-
 		printf("\n\nData type sizes int8 = %zu int16 = %zu int32 = %zu int64 = %zu\n\n",sizeof(int8),sizeof(int16),sizeof(int32),sizeof(int64));
 
 		Config::getInstance().setBool("DebugNetworkPackets",true,true);
diff --git a/source/glest_game/network/network_protocol.cpp b/source/glest_game/network/network_protocol.cpp
index 11642d18..0600bb26 100644
--- a/source/glest_game/network/network_protocol.cpp
+++ b/source/glest_game/network/network_protocol.cpp
@@ -17,8 +17,11 @@
 #include "leak_dumper.h"
 
 using namespace Shared::Platform;
+
 namespace Glest{ namespace Game{
 
+#pragma pack(push, 1)
+
 // macros for packing floats and doubles:
 #define pack754_16(f) (pack754((f), 16, 5))
 #define pack754_32(f) (pack754((f), 32, 8))
@@ -270,7 +273,7 @@ unsigned int pack(unsigned char *buf, const char *format, ...) {
 		case 'c': // 8-bit
 			size += 1;
 			c = (int8)va_arg(ap, int); // promoted
-			*buf++ = reinterpret_cast<unsigned char&>(c);
+			*buf++ = (unsigned char)c;
 
 			printf("pack int8 = %d [%X] c = %d [%X] buf pos = %d\n",*(buf-1),*(buf-1),c,c,(buf - bufStart));
 			break;
@@ -278,7 +281,7 @@ unsigned int pack(unsigned char *buf, const char *format, ...) {
 		case 'C': // 8-bit unsigned
 			size += 1;
 			C = (uint8)va_arg(ap, unsigned int); // promoted
-			*buf++ = reinterpret_cast<unsigned char&>(C);
+			*buf++ = (unsigned char)C;
 
 			printf("pack uint8 = %u [%X] C = %u [%X] buf pos = %d\n",*(buf-1),*(buf-1),C,C,(buf - bufStart));
 			break;
@@ -286,7 +289,7 @@ unsigned int pack(unsigned char *buf, const char *format, ...) {
 		case 'h': // 16-bit
 			size += 2;
 			h = (int16)va_arg(ap, int);
-			packi16(buf, reinterpret_cast<uint16&>(h));
+			packi16(buf, h);
 			buf += 2;
 
 			printf("pack int16 = %d [%X] h = %d [%X] buf pos = %d\n",*(buf-2),*(buf-2),h,h,(buf - bufStart));
@@ -304,7 +307,7 @@ unsigned int pack(unsigned char *buf, const char *format, ...) {
 		case 'l': // 32-bit
 			size += 4;
 			l = va_arg(ap, int32);
-			packi32(buf, reinterpret_cast<uint32&>(l));
+			packi32(buf, l);
 			buf += 4;
 
 			printf("pack int32 = %d [%X] l = %d [%X] buf pos = %d\n",*(buf-4),*(buf-4),l,l,(buf - bufStart));
@@ -322,7 +325,7 @@ unsigned int pack(unsigned char *buf, const char *format, ...) {
 		case 'q': // 64-bit
 			size += 8;
 			q = va_arg(ap, int64);
-			packi64(buf, reinterpret_cast<uint64&>(q));
+			packi64(buf, q);
 			buf += 8;
 
 			printf("pack int64 = %ld [%X] q = %ld [%lX] buf pos = %d\n",*(buf-8),*(buf-8),q,q,(buf - bufStart));
@@ -446,7 +449,7 @@ unsigned int unpack(unsigned char *buf, const char *format, ...) {
 //			else {
 //				*c = -1 - (unsigned char)(0xffu - *buf);
 //			}
-			*c = reinterpret_cast<signed char&>(*buf++);
+			*c = (int8)*buf++;
 			size += 1;
 
 			printf("unpack int8 = %d [%X] c = %d [%X] buf pos = %d\n",*(buf-1),*(buf-1),*c,*c,(buf - bufStart));
@@ -454,7 +457,7 @@ unsigned int unpack(unsigned char *buf, const char *format, ...) {
 
 		case 'C': // 8-bit unsigned
 			C = va_arg(ap, uint8*);
-			*C = reinterpret_cast<unsigned char&>(*buf++);
+			*C = (uint8)*buf++;
 			size += 1;
 
 			printf("unpack uint8 = %u [%X] C = %u [%X] buf pos = %d\n",*(buf-1),*(buf-1),*C,*C,(buf - bufStart));
@@ -569,5 +572,6 @@ unsigned int unpack(unsigned char *buf, const char *format, ...) {
 	return size;
 }
 
+#pragma pack(pop)
 
 }}