diff --git a/src/d_clisrv.c b/src/d_clisrv.c
index 638a85ba4..c0d2cf52f 100644
--- a/src/d_clisrv.c
+++ b/src/d_clisrv.c
@@ -289,27 +289,27 @@ void RegisterNetXCmd(netxcmd_t id, void (*cmd_f)(UINT8 **p, INT32 playernum))
 
 void SendNetXCmdForPlayer(UINT8 playerid, netxcmd_t id, const void *param, size_t nparam)
 {
-	if (((UINT16*)localtextcmd[playerid])[0]+3+nparam > MAXTEXTCMD)
+	if (localtextcmd[playerid][0]+2+nparam > MAXTEXTCMD)
 	{
 		// for future reference: if (cht_debug) != debug disabled.
-		CONS_Alert(CONS_ERROR, M_GetText("NetXCmd buffer full, cannot add netcmd %d! (size: %d, needed: %s)\n"), id, ((UINT16*)localtextcmd[playerid])[0], sizeu1(nparam));
+		CONS_Alert(CONS_ERROR, M_GetText("NetXCmd buffer full, cannot add netcmd %d! (size: %d, needed: %s)\n"), id, localtextcmd[playerid][0], sizeu1(nparam));
 		return;
 	}
 
-	((UINT16*)localtextcmd[playerid])[0]++;
-	localtextcmd[playerid][((UINT16*)localtextcmd[playerid])[0] + 1] = (UINT8)id;
+	localtextcmd[playerid][0]++;
+	localtextcmd[playerid][localtextcmd[playerid][0]] = (UINT8)id;
 
 	if (param && nparam)
 	{
-		memcpy(&localtextcmd[playerid][((UINT16*)localtextcmd[playerid])[0] + 2], param, nparam);
-		((UINT16*)localtextcmd[playerid])[0] = ((UINT16*)localtextcmd[playerid])[0] + (UINT8)nparam;
+		memcpy(&localtextcmd[playerid][localtextcmd[playerid][0] + 1], param, nparam);
+		localtextcmd[playerid][0] = (UINT8)(localtextcmd[playerid][0] + (UINT8)nparam);
 	}
 }
 
 UINT8 GetFreeXCmdSize(UINT8 playerid)
 {
-	// -2 for the size and another -1 for the ID.
-	return (UINT8)(localtextcmd[playerid][0] - 3);
+	// -1 for the size and another -1 for the ID.
+	return (UINT8)(localtextcmd[playerid][0] - 2);
 }
 
 // Frees all textcmd memory for the specified tic
@@ -422,9 +422,9 @@ static boolean ExtraDataTicker(void)
 			if (bufferstart)
 			{
 				UINT8 *curpos = bufferstart;
-				UINT8 *bufferend = &curpos[((UINT16*)curpos)[0]+2];
+				UINT8 *bufferend = &curpos[curpos[0]+1];
 
-				curpos += 2;
+				curpos++;
 				while (curpos < bufferend)
 				{
 					if (*curpos < MAXNETXCMD && listnetxcmd[*curpos])
@@ -4121,7 +4121,7 @@ void SV_StopServer(void)
 	P_UnloadLevel();
 
 	for (i = 0; i < MAXSPLITSCREENPLAYERS; i++)
-		((UINT16*)localtextcmd[i])[0] = 0;
+		localtextcmd[i][0] = 0;
 
 	for (i = firstticstosend; i < firstticstosend + BACKUPTICS; i++)
 		D_Clearticcmd(i);
@@ -4173,7 +4173,7 @@ static size_t TotalTextCmdPerTic(tic_t tic)
 	{
 		UINT8 *textcmd = D_GetExistingTextcmd(tic, i);
 		if ((!i || playeringame[i]) && textcmd)
-			total += 3 + ((UINT16*)textcmd)[0]; // "+2" for size and playernum
+			total += 2 + textcmd[0]; // "+2" for size and playernum
 	}
 
 	return total;
@@ -4815,17 +4815,9 @@ static void PT_TextCmd(SINT8 node, INT32 netconsole)
 		tic_t tic = maketic;
 		UINT8 *textcmd;
 
-		UINT16 incoming_size;
-
-		{
-			UINT8 *incoming = netbuffer->u.textcmd;
-
-			incoming_size = READUINT16(incoming);
-		}
-
 		// ignore if the textcmd has a reported size of zero
 		// this shouldn't be sent at all
-		if (!incoming_size)
+		if (!netbuffer->u.textcmd[0])
 		{
 			DEBFILE(va("GetPacket: Textcmd with size 0 detected! (node %u, player %d)\n",
 					   node, netconsole));
@@ -4834,11 +4826,11 @@ static void PT_TextCmd(SINT8 node, INT32 netconsole)
 		}
 
 		// ignore if the textcmd size var is actually larger than it should be
-		// BASEPACKETSIZE + 2 (for size) + textcmd[0] should == datalength
-		if (incoming_size > (size_t)doomcom->datalength-BASEPACKETSIZE-2)
+		// BASEPACKETSIZE + 1 (for size) + textcmd[0] should == datalength
+		if (netbuffer->u.textcmd[0] > (size_t)doomcom->datalength-BASEPACKETSIZE-1)
 		{
 			DEBFILE(va("GetPacket: Bad Textcmd packet size! (expected %d, actual %s, node %u, player %d)\n",
-					   incoming_size, sizeu1((size_t)doomcom->datalength-BASEPACKETSIZE-2),
+					   netbuffer->u.textcmd[0], sizeu1((size_t)doomcom->datalength-BASEPACKETSIZE-1),
 					   node, netconsole));
 			Net_UnAcknowledgePacket(node);
 			return;
@@ -4847,12 +4839,12 @@ static void PT_TextCmd(SINT8 node, INT32 netconsole)
 		// check if tic that we are making isn't too large else we cannot send it :(
 		// doomcom->numslots+1 "+1" since doomcom->numslots can change within this time and sent time
 		j = software_MAXPACKETLENGTH
-		- (incoming_size + 3 + BASESERVERTICSSIZE
+		- (netbuffer->u.textcmd[0]+2+BASESERVERTICSSIZE
 		+ (doomcom->numslots+1)*sizeof(ticcmd_t));
 
 		// search a tic that have enougth space in the ticcmd
 		while ((textcmd = D_GetExistingTextcmd(tic, netconsole)),
-			(TotalTextCmdPerTic(tic) > j || incoming_size + (textcmd ? ((UINT16*)textcmd)[0] : 0) > MAXTEXTCMD)
+			(TotalTextCmdPerTic(tic) > j || netbuffer->u.textcmd[0] + (textcmd ? textcmd[0] : 0) > MAXTEXTCMD)
 			&& tic < firstticstosend + BACKUPTICS)
 			tic++;
 
@@ -4869,10 +4861,10 @@ static void PT_TextCmd(SINT8 node, INT32 netconsole)
 		if (!textcmd) textcmd = D_GetTextcmd(tic, netconsole);
 
 		DEBFILE(va("textcmd put in tic %u at position %d (player %d) ftts %u mk %u\n",
-				   tic, ((UINT16*)textcmd)[0]+2, netconsole, firstticstosend, maketic));
+				   tic, textcmd[0]+1, netconsole, firstticstosend, maketic));
 
-		memcpy(&textcmd[((UINT16*)textcmd)[0]+2], netbuffer->u.textcmd+2, incoming_size);
-		((UINT16*)textcmd)[0] += incoming_size;
+		memcpy(&textcmd[textcmd[0]+1], netbuffer->u.textcmd+1, netbuffer->u.textcmd[0]);
+		textcmd[0] += (UINT8)netbuffer->u.textcmd[0];
 	}
 }
 
@@ -5070,7 +5062,7 @@ static void PT_ServerTics(SINT8 node, INT32 netconsole)
 			for (j = 0; j < numtxtpak; j++)
 			{
 				INT32 k = *txtpak++; // playernum
-				const size_t txtsize = ((UINT16*)txtpak)[0]+2;
+				const size_t txtsize = txtpak[0]+1;
 
 				if (i >= gametic) // Don't copy old net commands
 					memcpy(D_GetTextcmd(i, k), txtpak, txtsize);
@@ -5761,7 +5753,7 @@ static void CL_SendClientCmd(void)
 		// Send extra data if needed
 		for (i = 0; i < MAXSPLITSCREENPLAYERS; i++)
 		{
-			if (((UINT16*)localtextcmd[i])[0])
+			if (localtextcmd[i][0])
 			{
 				switch (i)
 				{
@@ -5779,10 +5771,10 @@ static void CL_SendClientCmd(void)
 						break;
 				}
 
-				memcpy(netbuffer->u.textcmd, localtextcmd[i], ((UINT16*)localtextcmd[i])[0]+2);
+				memcpy(netbuffer->u.textcmd, localtextcmd[i], localtextcmd[i][0]+1);
 				// All extra data have been sent
-				if (HSendPacket(servernode, true, 0, ((UINT16*)localtextcmd[i])[0]+2)) // Send can fail...
-					((UINT16*)localtextcmd[i])[0] = 0;
+				if (HSendPacket(servernode, true, 0, localtextcmd[i][0]+1)) // Send can fail...
+					localtextcmd[i][0] = 0;
 			}
 		}
 	}
@@ -5880,14 +5872,14 @@ static void SV_SendTics(void)
 				for (j = 0; j < MAXPLAYERS; j++)
 				{
 					UINT8 *textcmd = D_GetExistingTextcmd(i, j);
-					INT32 size = textcmd ? ((UINT16*)textcmd)[0] : 0;
+					INT32 size = textcmd ? textcmd[0] : 0;
 
 					if ((!j || playeringame[j]) && size)
 					{
 						(*ntextcmd)++;
 						WRITEUINT8(bufpos, j);
-						WRITEUINT16(bufpos, ((UINT16*)textcmd)[0]);
-						WRITEMEM(bufpos, &textcmd[2], size);
+						memcpy(bufpos, textcmd, size + 1);
+						bufpos += size + 1;
 					}
 				}
 			}
diff --git a/src/d_clisrv.h b/src/d_clisrv.h
index 9ea8b32bd..f08977d01 100644
--- a/src/d_clisrv.h
+++ b/src/d_clisrv.h
@@ -396,7 +396,7 @@ struct doomdata_t
 		client4cmd_pak client4pak;
 		servertics_pak serverpak;
 		serverconfig_pak servercfg;
-		UINT8 textcmd[MAXTEXTCMD+2];
+		UINT8 textcmd[MAXTEXTCMD+1];
 		char filetxpak[sizeof (filetx_pak)];
 		char fileack[sizeof (fileack_pak)];
 		UINT8 filereceived;
diff --git a/src/d_net.c b/src/d_net.c
index 58cab71d7..4e7c23191 100644
--- a/src/d_net.c
+++ b/src/d_net.c
@@ -884,20 +884,11 @@ static void DebugPrintpacket(const char *header)
 		case PT_TEXTCMD:
 		case PT_TEXTCMD2:
 		case PT_TEXTCMD3:
-		case PT_TEXTCMD4: {
-			UINT16 size;
-
-			{
-				UINT8 *p = netbuffer->u.textcmd;
-
-				size = READUINT16(p);
-			}
-
-			fprintf(debugfile, "    length %d\n", size);
-			fprintf(debugfile, "[%s]", netxcmdnames[netbuffer->u.textcmd[2] - 1]);
-			fprintfstringnewline((char *)netbuffer->u.textcmd + 3, size - 2);
+		case PT_TEXTCMD4:
+			fprintf(debugfile, "    length %d\n", netbuffer->u.textcmd[0]);
+			fprintf(debugfile, "[%s]", netxcmdnames[netbuffer->u.textcmd[1] - 1]);
+			fprintfstringnewline((char *)netbuffer->u.textcmd + 2, netbuffer->u.textcmd[0] - 1);
 			break;
-		}
 		case PT_SERVERCFG:
 			fprintf(debugfile, "    playerslots %d clientnode %d serverplayer %d "
 				"gametic %u gamestate %d gametype %d modifiedgame %d\n",