diff --git a/source/ps/Network/AllNetMessages.h b/source/ps/Network/AllNetMessages.h
index 6504849245..7cf5a63083 100755
--- a/source/ps/Network/AllNetMessages.h
+++ b/source/ps/Network/AllNetMessages.h
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 #define _AllNetMessages_H
 
 #include "types.h"
+#include "CStr.h"
 
 enum NetMessageType
 {
@@ -40,11 +41,13 @@ enum NetMessageType
 START_NMTS()
 
 START_NMT_CLASS(AlohaMessage, NMT_Aloha)
-	NMT_FIELD_INT(m_AlohaCode, uint, 4)
+//	NMT_FIELD_INT(m_AlohaCode, u64, 8)
+	NMT_FIELD(CStr, m_AlohaCode)
 END_NMT_CLASS()
 
 START_NMT_CLASS(SayonaraMessage, NMT_Sayonara)
-	NMT_FIELD_INT(m_SayonaraCode, uint, 4)
+//	NMT_FIELD_INT(m_SayonaraCode, u64, 8)
+	NMT_FIELD(CStr, m_SayonaraCode)
 END_NMT_CLASS()
 
 END_NMTS()
diff --git a/source/ps/Network/NMTCreator.h b/source/ps/Network/NMTCreator.h
index 8326f569f3..0544cd59b4 100755
--- a/source/ps/Network/NMTCreator.h
+++ b/source/ps/Network/NMTCreator.h
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 #undef END_NMTS
 #undef START_NMT_CLASS
 #undef NMT_FIELD_INT
+#undef NMT_FIELD
 #undef END_NMT_CLASS
 
 #else
@@ -23,17 +24,45 @@
 #define START_NMTS()
 #define END_NMTS()
 
+/**
+ * Start the definition of a network message type.
+ *
+ * @param _nm The name of the class
+ * @param _tp The NetMessageType associated with the class. IT is *not* safe to
+ * have several classes with the same value of _tp in the same executable
+ */
 #define START_NMT_CLASS(_nm, _tp) \
-CNetMessage *Deserialize##_nm(u8 *, uint); \
+CNetMessage *Deserialize##_nm(const u8 *, uint); \
 struct _nm: public CNetMessage \
 { \
 	_nm(): CNetMessage(_tp) {} \
 	virtual uint GetSerializedLength() const; \
 	virtual void Serialize(u8 *buffer) const;
 
+/**
+ * Add an integer field to the message type.
+ *
+ * @param _nm The name of the field
+ * @param _hosttp The local type of the field (the data type used in the field
+ * definition)
+ * @param _netsz The number of bytes that should be serialized. If the variable
+ * has a value larger than the maximum value of the specified network size,
+ * higher order bytes will be discarded.
+ */		
 #define NMT_FIELD_INT(_nm, _hosttp, _netsz) \
 	_hosttp _nm;
 
+/**
+ * Add a generic field to the message type. The data type must be a class
+ * implementing the ISerializable interface
+ *
+ * @param _tp The local data type of the field
+ * @param _nm The name of the field
+ * @see ISerializable
+ */
+#define NMT_FIELD(_tp, _nm) \
+	_tp _nm;
+
 #define END_NMT_CLASS() };
 
 #include "NMTCreator.h"
@@ -53,6 +82,9 @@ uint _nm::GetSerializedLength() const \
 #define NMT_FIELD_INT(_nm, _hosttp, _netsz) \
 	ret += _netsz;
 
+#define NMT_FIELD(_tp, _nm) \
+	ret += _nm.GetSerializedLength();
+
 #define END_NMT_CLASS() \
 	return ret; \
 };
@@ -67,11 +99,14 @@ uint _nm::GetSerializedLength() const \
 #define START_NMT_CLASS(_nm, _tp) \
 void _nm::Serialize(u8 *buffer) const \
 { \
-	printf("In " #_nm "::Serialize()\n"); \
+	/*printf("In " #_nm "::Serialize()\n");*/ \
 	u8 *pos=buffer; \
 
 #define NMT_FIELD_INT(_nm, _hosttp, _netsz) \
-	pos=SerializeInt<_hosttp, _netsz>(pos, _nm); \
+	Serialize_int_##_netsz(pos, _nm); \
+
+#define NMT_FIELD(_tp, _nm) \
+	pos=_nm.Serialize(pos);
 
 #define END_NMT_CLASS() }
 
@@ -82,17 +117,23 @@ void _nm::Serialize(u8 *buffer) const \
 #define START_NMTS()
 #define END_NMTS()
 
+#define BAIL_DESERIALIZER STMT( delete ret; return NULL; )
+
 #define START_NMT_CLASS(_nm, _tp) \
-CNetMessage *Deserialize##_nm(u8 *buffer, uint length) \
+CNetMessage *Deserialize##_nm(const u8 *buffer, uint length) \
 { \
-	printf("In Deserialize" #_nm "\n"); \
+	/*printf("In Deserialize" #_nm "\n"); */\
 	_nm *ret=new _nm(); \
-	u8 *pos=buffer; \
-	u8 *end=buffer+length; \
+	const u8 *pos=buffer; \
+	const u8 *end=buffer+length; \
 
 #define NMT_FIELD_INT(_nm, _hosttp, _netsz) \
-	ret->_nm=DeserializeInt<_hosttp, _netsz>(&pos); \
-	printf("\t" #_nm " == 0x%x\n", ret->_nm);
+	if (pos+_netsz >= end) BAIL_DESERIALIZER; \
+	Deserialize_int_##_netsz(pos, (ret->_nm)); \
+	/*printf("\t" #_nm " == 0x%x\n", ret->_nm);*/
+
+#define NMT_FIELD(_tp, _nm) \
+	if ((pos=ret->_nm.Deserialize(pos, end)) == NULL) BAIL_DESERIALIZER;
 
 #define END_NMT_CLASS() \
 	return ret; \
@@ -100,6 +141,8 @@ CNetMessage *Deserialize##_nm(u8 *buffer, uint length) \
 
 #include "NMTCreator.h"
 
+#undef BAIL_DESERIALIZER
+
 /*************************************************************************/
 // Pass 5, Deserializer Registration
 #define START_NMTS() SNetMessageDeserializerRegistration g_DeserializerRegistrations[] = {
@@ -110,6 +153,8 @@ CNetMessage *Deserialize##_nm(u8 *buffer, uint length) \
 
 #define NMT_FIELD_INT(_nm, _hosttp, _netsz)
 
+#define NMT_FIELD(_tp, _nm)
+
 #define END_NMT_CLASS()
 
 #include "NMTCreator.h"
diff --git a/source/ps/Network/NetMessage.h b/source/ps/Network/NetMessage.h
index db09ff57cc..37802164b0 100755
--- a/source/ps/Network/NetMessage.h
+++ b/source/ps/Network/NetMessage.h
@@ -14,21 +14,36 @@ protected:
 	inline CNetMessage(NetMessageType type):
 		m_Type(type)
 	{}
-public:
-	inline CNetMessage(): m_Type(NMT_NONE)
-	{}
 
+public:
 	inline NetMessageType GetType() const
 	{ return m_Type; }
 
+	/**
+	 * @returns The length of the message when serialized.
+	 */
 	virtual uint GetSerializedLength() const;
+	/**
+	 * Serialize the message into the buffer. The buffer will have the size
+	 * returned from the last call to GetSerializedLength()
+	 */
 	virtual void Serialize(u8 *buffer) const;
 
+	/**
+	 * Deserialize a net message, using the globally registered deserializers.
+	 *
+	 * @param type The NetMessageType of the message
+	 * @param buffer A pointer to the buffer holding the message data
+	 * @param length The length of the message data
+	 *
+	 * @returns a pointer to a newly created CNetMessage subclass, or NULL if
+	 * there was an error in data format.
+	 */
 	static CNetMessage *DeserializeMessage(NetMessageType type, u8 *buffer, uint length);
 };
 
 class CNetMessage;
-typedef CNetMessage * (*NetMessageDeserializer) (u8 *buffer, uint length);
+typedef CNetMessage * (*NetMessageDeserializer) (const u8 *buffer, uint length);
 
 struct SNetMessageDeserializerRegistration
 {
diff --git a/source/ps/Network/Serialization.h b/source/ps/Network/Serialization.h
index e4dad6cb2b..d49582bdbc 100755
--- a/source/ps/Network/Serialization.h
+++ b/source/ps/Network/Serialization.h
@@ -2,29 +2,94 @@
 #define _Serialization_H
 
 #include "types.h"
+#include "misc.h"
 
-template <typename _T, int netsize>
-inline u8 *SerializeInt(u8 *pos, _T val)
-{
-	for (int i=0;i<netsize;i++)
-	{
-		*(pos++)=val&0xff;
-		val >>= 8;
-	}
-	return pos;
-}
+#define Serialize_int_1(_pos, _val) \
+	STMT( *((_pos)++) = _val&0xff; )
 
-template <typename _T, int netsize>
-inline _T DeserializeInt(u8 **pos)
+#define Serialize_int_2(_pos, _val) STMT(\
+	Serialize_int_1(_pos, _val>>8); \
+	Serialize_int_1(_pos, _val); \
+)
+
+#define Serialize_int_3(_pos, _val) STMT(\
+	Serialize_int_1(_pos, _val>>16); \
+	Serialize_int_2(_pos, _val); \
+)
+
+#define Serialize_int_4(_pos, _val) STMT(\
+	Serialize_int_1(_pos, _val>>24); \
+	Serialize_int_3(_pos, _val); \
+)
+
+#define Serialize_int_8(_pos, _val) STMT(\
+	Serialize_int_4(_pos, _val>>32); \
+	Serialize_int_4(_pos, _val); \
+)
+
+#define Deserialize_int_1(_pos, _val) STMT(\
+	(_val) -= (_val) & 0xff; \
+	(_val) += *((_pos)++); )
+
+#define Deserialize_int_2(_pos, _val) STMT(\
+	Deserialize_int_1(_pos, _val); \
+	_val <<= 8; \
+	Deserialize_int_1(_pos, _val); )
+
+#define Deserialize_int_3(_pos, _val) STMT(\
+	Deserialize_int_2(_pos, _val); \
+	_val <<= 8; \
+	Deserialize_int_1(_pos, _val); )
+
+#define Deserialize_int_4(_pos, _val) STMT(\
+	Deserialize_int_3(_pos, _val); \
+	_val <<= 8; \
+	Deserialize_int_1(_pos, _val); )
+
+#define Deserialize_int_8(_pos, _val) STMT(\
+	Deserialize_int_4(_pos, _val); \
+	_val <<= 8; \
+	Deserialize_int_4(_pos, _val); )
+
+/*#define Serialize_CStr(_pos, _str) STMT( \
+	uint len=_str.Length(); \
+	Serialize_int_4(_pos, len); \
+	memcpy(_pos, _str, len+1); _pos += len+1; )
+
+#define Deserialize_CStr(_pos, _str) STMT( \
+	uint len; Deserialize_int_4(_pos, len); \
+	_str=CStr((char *)_pos); _pos += len+1; )*/
+
+/**
+ * An interface for serializable objects. For a serializable object to be usable
+ * as a network message field, it must have a constructor without arguments.
+ */
+class ISerializable
 {
-	_T val=0;
-	uint i=netsize;
-	while (i--)
-	{
-		val = (val << 8) + (*pos)[i];
-	}
-	(*pos) += netsize;
-	return val;
-}
+public:
+	/**
+	 * Return the length of the serialized form of this object
+	 */
+	virtual uint GetSerializedLength() const = 0;
+	/**
+	 * Serialize the object into the passed buffer.
+	 * 
+	 * @return a pointer to the location in the buffer right after the
+	 * serialized object
+	 */
+	virtual u8 *Serialize(u8 *buffer) const = 0;
+	/**
+	 * Deserialize the object (i.e. read in data from the buffer and initialize
+	 * the object's fields). Note that it is up to the deserializer to detect
+	 * errors in data format.
+	 *
+	 * @param buffer A pointer pointing to the start of the serialized data.
+	 * @param end A pointer to the end of the message.
+	 * 
+	 * @returns a pointer to the location in the buffer right after the
+	 * serialized object, or NULL if there was a data format error
+	 */
+	virtual const u8 *Deserialize(const u8 *buffer, const u8 *end) = 0;
+};
 
 #endif