diff --git a/src/client.odin b/src/client.odin
index 31703f5..f715c5a 100644
--- a/src/client.odin
+++ b/src/client.odin
@@ -4,58 +4,51 @@ import "core:fmt"
 import "core:net"
 
 Client_View :: struct {
-	num_hints: int,
-	num_lives: int,
-	players:   []Player,
+	num_players:   int,
+	num_hints:     int,
+	num_lives:     int,
+	other_players: []Player,
 }
 
-unpack_card :: proc(c: Bit_Card) -> Card {
-	return {value = c.value, color = c.color}
-}
-
-recv_payload :: proc(sock: net.TCP_Socket, allocator := context.allocator) -> Payload {
-	header: [3]byte
+recv_payload :: proc(sock: net.TCP_Socket, allocator := context.allocator) -> (pl: Payload) {
+	header: [4]u8
 	net.recv(sock, header[:])
-	num_cards := header[2]
-	body := make([]byte, num_cards)
+	num_cards := header[3]
+	body := make([]u8, num_cards)
 	net.recv(sock, body)
-	return {header[0], header[1], header[2], transmute([]Bit_Card)body}
-}
-
-num_players :: proc(num_cards: int) -> int {
-	switch num_cards {
-	case 5:
-		return 2
-	case 10:
-		return 3
-	case 12:
-		return 4
-	case 16:
-		return 5
-	case:
-		return -1
-	}
+	pl = {header[0], header[1], header[2], header[3], transmute([]Card)body}
+	// sanity checks
+	assert(2 <= pl.num_players && pl.num_players <= 5)
+	assert(pl.num_hints >= 0 && pl.num_lives >= 0)
+	for c in pl.cards do assert(1 <= c.value && c.value <= 5)
+	return
 }
 
 create_view :: proc(pl: Payload, allocator := context.allocator) -> Client_View {
-	n := num_players(int(pl.num_cards))
-	assert(n > 0)
-	players := make([]Player, n)
-	for i in 0 ..< n - 1 {
-		cards_per_hand := int(pl.num_cards) / (n - 1)
+	cards_per_hand := pl.num_cards / (pl.num_players - 1)
+	players: [dynamic]Player
+	i := 0
+	for cast(u8)len(players) < pl.num_players - 1 {
 		hand: [dynamic]Card
-		for c in 0 ..< cards_per_hand {
-			append(&hand, unpack_card(pl.cards[i * cards_per_hand + c]))
+		for cast(u8)len(hand) < cards_per_hand {
+			append(&hand, pl.cards[i])
+			i += 1
 		}
-		players[i].hand = hand
+		append(&players, Player{hand = hand})
+	}
+
+	return {
+		num_players = int(pl.num_players),
+		num_hints = int(pl.num_hints),
+		num_lives = int(pl.num_lives),
+		other_players = players[:],
 	}
-	return {num_hints = int(pl.num_hints), num_lives = int(pl.num_lives), players = players}
 }
 
 render_view :: proc(view: Client_View) {
 	fmt.println("number of hints left:", view.num_hints)
 	fmt.println("number of lives left:", view.num_lives)
-	for p in view.players {
+	for p in view.other_players {
 		fmt.println()
 		for c in p.hand {
 			fmt.println(c.value, c.color)
diff --git a/src/game.odin b/src/game.odin
index 1dbb51b..f1ce3e5 100644
--- a/src/game.odin
+++ b/src/game.odin
@@ -3,21 +3,21 @@ package hanabi
 import "core:fmt"
 import "core:math/rand"
 
-COLORS :: enum {
-	RED,
-	GREEN,
-	WHITE,
-	BLUE,
-	YELLOW,
-	RAINBOW,
+COLORS :: enum u8 {
+	RED     = 0b000,
+	GREEN   = 0b001,
+	WHITE   = 0b010,
+	BLUE    = 0b011,
+	YELLOW  = 0b100,
+	RAINBOW = 0b101,
 }
 
-Card :: struct {
-	value: int,
-	color: COLORS,
+Card :: bit_field u8 {
+	value: u8     | 3,
+	color: COLORS | 3,
 }
 
-VALUES: []int : {1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5}
+VALUES: []u8 : {1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5}
 
 Player :: struct {
 	hand: [dynamic]Card,
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ hand_size :: proc(g: Game) -> int {
 create_deck :: proc() -> (deck: [dynamic]Card) {
 	for c in COLORS {
 		for v in VALUES {
-			append(&deck, Card{v, c})
+			append(&deck, Card{value = v, color = c})
 		}
 	}
 	rand.shuffle(deck[:])
diff --git a/src/server.odin b/src/server.odin
index 49c4af8..0af881e 100644
--- a/src/server.odin
+++ b/src/server.odin
@@ -30,47 +30,34 @@ delete_comm_world :: proc(w: ^Comm_World) {
 	delete(w.sockets)
 }
 
-
-/*
-emulates Card, but packs the fields more neatly
-*/
-Bit_Card :: bit_field u8 {
-	value: int    | 3,
-	color: COLORS | 3,
-}
-
-pack_card :: proc(c: Card) -> Bit_Card {
-	return {value = c.value, color = c.color}
-}
-
 Payload :: struct #packed {
-	num_hints: u8,
-	num_lives: u8,
-	num_cards: u8,
-	cards:     []Bit_Card,
+	num_players: u8,
+	num_hints:   u8,
+	num_lives:   u8,
+	num_cards:   u8,
+	cards:       []Card,
 }
 
 create_payload :: proc(g: Game, player: int, allocator := context.allocator) -> Payload {
-	cards: [dynamic]Bit_Card
+	cards: [dynamic]Card
 	for i in 0 ..< g.num_players {
 		if i == player do continue
 		hand := g.players[i].hand[:]
-		for c in hand {
-			append(&cards, pack_card(c))
-		}
+		for c in hand do append(&cards, c)
 	}
-	return {u8(g.hint_tokens), u8(g.lives_left), u8(len(cards)), cards[:]}
+	return {u8(g.num_players), u8(g.hint_tokens), u8(g.lives_left), u8(len(cards)), cards[:]}
 }
 
 send_payload :: proc(sock: net.TCP_Socket, pl: Payload) -> net.Network_Error {
-	data: [dynamic]byte
+	data: [dynamic]u8
 	defer delete(data)
-	append(&data, pl.num_hints, pl.num_lives, pl.num_cards)
+	append(&data, pl.num_players, pl.num_hints, pl.num_lives, pl.num_cards)
 	for c in pl.cards do append(&data, transmute(u8)c)
 	net.send(sock, data[:]) or_return
 	return nil
 }
 
+// TODO: add cli input for these
 DEFAULT_HINT_TOKENS :: 8
 DEFAULT_LIVES :: 3