diff --git a/engine/common/net_buffer.c b/engine/common/net_buffer.c
index 96b9daef..8c7798a9 100644
--- a/engine/common/net_buffer.c
+++ b/engine/common/net_buffer.c
@@ -213,17 +213,25 @@ void MSG_WriteSBitLong( sizebuf_t *sb, int data, int numbits )
 	// do we have a valid # of bits to encode with?
 	Assert( numbits >= 1 && numbits <= 32 );
 
-	// NOTE: it does this wierdness here so it's bit-compatible with regular integer data in the buffer.
-	// (Some old code writes direct integers right into the buffer).
 	if( data < 0 )
 	{
+		if( sb->iAlternateSign )
+			MSG_WriteOneBit( sb, 1 );
+
 		MSG_WriteUBitLong( sb, (uint)( 0x80000000 + data ), numbits - 1 );
-		MSG_WriteOneBit( sb, 1 );
+
+		if( !sb->iAlternateSign )
+			MSG_WriteOneBit( sb, 1 );
 	}
 	else
 	{
+		if( sb->iAlternateSign )
+			MSG_WriteOneBit( sb, 0 );
+
 		MSG_WriteUBitLong( sb, (uint)data, numbits - 1 );
-		MSG_WriteOneBit( sb, 0 );
+
+		if( !sb->iAlternateSign )
+			MSG_WriteOneBit( sb, 0 );
 	}
 }
 
@@ -533,12 +541,22 @@ int MSG_ReadSBitLong( sizebuf_t *sb, int numbits )
 {
 	int	r, sign;
 
-	r = MSG_ReadUBitLong( sb, numbits - 1 );
+	if( sb->iAlternateSign )
+	{
+		sign = MSG_ReadOneBit( sb );
+		r = MSG_ReadUBitLong( sb, numbits - 1 );
 
-	// NOTE: it does this wierdness here so it's bit-compatible with regular integer data in the buffer.
-	// (Some old code writes direct integers right into the buffer).
-	sign = MSG_ReadOneBit( sb );
-	if( sign ) r = -( BIT( numbits - 1 ) - r );
+		if( sign )
+			r = -r;
+	}
+	else
+	{
+		r = MSG_ReadUBitLong( sb, numbits - 1 );
+		sign = MSG_ReadOneBit( sb );
+
+		if( sign )
+			r = -( BIT( numbits - 1 ) - r );
+	}
 
 	return r;
 }
@@ -569,7 +587,13 @@ int MSG_ReadCmd( sizebuf_t *sb, netsrc_t type )
 
 int MSG_ReadChar( sizebuf_t *sb )
 {
-	return MSG_ReadSBitLong( sb, sizeof( int8_t ) << 3 );
+	int alt = sb->iAlternateSign, ret;
+
+	sb->iAlternateSign = 0;
+	ret = MSG_ReadSBitLong( sb, sizeof( int8_t ) << 3 );
+	sb->iAlternateSign = alt;
+
+	return ret;
 }
 
 int MSG_ReadByte( sizebuf_t *sb )
@@ -579,7 +603,13 @@ int MSG_ReadByte( sizebuf_t *sb )
 
 int MSG_ReadShort( sizebuf_t *sb )
 {
-	return MSG_ReadSBitLong( sb, sizeof( int16_t ) << 3 );
+	int alt = sb->iAlternateSign, ret;
+
+	sb->iAlternateSign = 0;
+	ret = MSG_ReadSBitLong( sb, sizeof( int16_t ) << 3 );
+	sb->iAlternateSign = alt;
+
+	return ret;
 }
 
 int MSG_ReadWord( sizebuf_t *sb )
@@ -611,7 +641,13 @@ void MSG_ReadVec3Angles( sizebuf_t *sb, vec3_t fa )
 
 int MSG_ReadLong( sizebuf_t *sb )
 {
-	return MSG_ReadSBitLong( sb, sizeof( int32_t ) << 3 );
+	int alt = sb->iAlternateSign, ret;
+
+	sb->iAlternateSign = 0;
+	ret = MSG_ReadSBitLong( sb, sizeof( int32_t ) << 3 );
+	sb->iAlternateSign = alt;
+
+	return ret;
 }
 
 uint MSG_ReadDword( sizebuf_t *sb )
diff --git a/engine/common/net_buffer.h b/engine/common/net_buffer.h
index e278f737..46470d02 100644
--- a/engine/common/net_buffer.h
+++ b/engine/common/net_buffer.h
@@ -42,6 +42,9 @@ struct sizebuf_s
 	int         iCurBit;
 	int         nDataBits;
 	const char	*pDebugName; // buffer name (pointer to const name)
+
+	// to support GoldSrc broken signed integers
+	int iAlternateSign;
 };
 
 #define MSG_StartReading     MSG_StartWriting
@@ -71,6 +74,7 @@ static inline void MSG_InitExt( sizebuf_t *sb, const char *pDebugName, void *pDa
 		sb->nDataBits = nBits;
 
 	sb->pDebugName = pDebugName;
+	sb->iAlternateSign = 0;
 }
 
 static inline void MSG_StartWriting( sizebuf_t *sb, void *pData, int nBytes, int iStartBit, int nBits )
@@ -169,6 +173,25 @@ static inline qboolean MSG_Overflow( sizebuf_t *sb, int nBits )
 	return sb->bOverflow;
 }
 
+static inline void MSG_EndBitWriting( sizebuf_t *sb )
+{
+	sb->iAlternateSign--;
+
+	if( sb->iAlternateSign < 0 )
+	{
+		Con_Printf( "%s: non-even MSG_Start/EndBitWriting\n", __func__ );
+		sb->iAlternateSign = 0;
+	}
+
+	// we have native bit ops here, just pad to closest byte
+	MSG_SeekToBit( sb, MSG_GetNumBytesWritten( sb ) << 3, SEEK_SET );
+}
+
+static inline void MSG_StartBitWriting( sizebuf_t *sb )
+{
+	sb->iAlternateSign++;
+}
+
 void MSG_InitMasks( void );	// called once at startup engine
 void MSG_ExciseBits( sizebuf_t *sb, int startbit, int bitstoremove );