diff --git a/lib/reader.js b/lib/reader.js
index b5aafa9..5dbc2f2 100644
--- a/lib/reader.js
+++ b/lib/reader.js
@@ -21,7 +21,9 @@ class Reader {
      * @param {Buffer} buffer
      **/
     constructor(query,buffer) {
-        this.query = query;
+        this.defaultEncoding = query.options.encoding || query.encoding;
+        this.defaultDelimiter = query.delimiter;
+        this.defaultByteOrder = query.byteorder;
         this.buffer = buffer;
         this.i = 0;
     }
@@ -34,56 +36,64 @@ class Reader {
         this.i += i;
     }
 
-    string(...args) {
-        let options = {};
-        if(args.length === 0) {
-            options = {};
-        } else if(args.length === 1) {
-            if(typeof args[0] === 'string') options = { delimiter: args[0] };
-            else if(typeof args[0] === 'number') options = { length: args[0] };
-            else options = args[0];
+    pascalString(bytesForSize, adjustment=0) {
+        const length = this.uint(bytesForSize) + adjustment;
+        return this.string(length);
+    }
+
+    string(arg) {
+        let encoding = this.defaultEncoding;
+        let length = null;
+        let delimiter = this.defaultDelimiter;
+
+        if(typeof arg === 'string') delimiter = arg;
+        else if(typeof arg === 'number') length = arg;
+        else if(typeof arg === 'object') {
+            if ('encoding' in arg) encoding = arg.encoding;
+            if ('length' in arg) length = arg.length;
+            if ('delimiter' in arg) delimiter = arg.delimiter;
         }
 
-        options.encoding = options.encoding || this.query.options.encoding || this.query.encoding;
-        if(options.encoding === 'latin1') options.encoding = 'win1252';
+        if(encoding === 'latin1') encoding = 'win1252';
 
-        const start = this.i+0;
+        const start = this.i;
         let end = start;
-        if(!('length' in options)) {
+        if(length === null) {
             // terminated by the delimiter
-            let delim = options.delimiter || this.query.delimiter;
-            if(typeof delim === 'string') delim = delim.charCodeAt(0);
-            while(true) {
-                if(end >= this.buffer.length) {
+            let delim = delimiter;
+            if (typeof delim === 'string') delim = delim.charCodeAt(0);
+            while (true) {
+                if (end >= this.buffer.length) {
                     end = this.buffer.length;
                     break;
                 }
-                if(this.buffer.readUInt8(end) === delim) break;
+                if (this.buffer.readUInt8(end) === delim) break;
                 end++;
             }
-            this.i = end+1;
+            this.i = end + 1;
+        } else if (length <= 0) {
+            return '';
         } else {
-            end = start+options.length;
+            end = start+length;
             if(end >= this.buffer.length) {
                 end = this.buffer.length;
             }
             this.i = end;
         }
 
-        let out = this.buffer.slice(start, end);
-        const enc = options.encoding;
+        const slice = this.buffer.slice(start, end);
+        const enc = encoding;
         if(enc === 'utf8' || enc === 'ucs2' || enc === 'binary') {
-            out = out.toString(enc);
+            return slice.toString(enc);
         } else {
-            out = Iconv.decode(out,enc);
+            return Iconv.decode(slice,enc);
         }
-        return out;
     }
 
     int(bytes) {
         let r = 0;
         if(this.remaining() >= bytes) {
-            if(this.query.byteorder === 'be') {
+            if(this.defaultByteOrder === 'be') {
                 if(bytes === 1) r = this.buffer.readInt8(this.i);
                 else if(bytes === 2) r = this.buffer.readInt16BE(this.i);
                 else if(bytes === 4) r = this.buffer.readInt32BE(this.i);
@@ -101,7 +111,7 @@ class Reader {
     uint(bytes) {
         let r = 0;
         if(this.remaining() >= bytes) {
-            if(this.query.byteorder === 'be') {
+            if(this.defaultByteOrder === 'be') {
                 if(bytes === 1) r = this.buffer.readUInt8(this.i);
                 else if(bytes === 2) r = this.buffer.readUInt16BE(this.i);
                 else if(bytes === 4) r = this.buffer.readUInt32BE(this.i);
@@ -120,7 +130,7 @@ class Reader {
     float() {
         let r = 0;
         if(this.remaining() >= 4) {
-            if(this.query.byteorder === 'be') r = this.buffer.readFloatBE(this.i);
+            if(this.defaultByteOrder === 'be') r = this.buffer.readFloatBE(this.i);
             else r = this.buffer.readFloatLE(this.i);
         }
         this.i += 4;
diff --git a/protocols/ase.js b/protocols/ase.js
index c6332b1..beb8eb4 100644
--- a/protocols/ase.js
+++ b/protocols/ase.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ class Ase extends Core {
     async run(state) {
         const buffer = await this.udpSend('s',(buffer) => {
             const reader = this.reader(buffer);
-            const header = reader.string({length: 4});
+            const header = reader.string(4);
             if (header === 'EYE1') return reader.rest();
         });
 
@@ -40,8 +40,7 @@ class Ase extends Core {
     }
 
     readString(reader) {
-        const len = reader.uint(1);
-        return reader.string({length:len-1});
+        return reader.pascalString(1, -1);
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/protocols/battlefield.js b/protocols/battlefield.js
index 609da3f..898e6ea 100644
--- a/protocols/battlefield.js
+++ b/protocols/battlefield.js
@@ -153,8 +153,7 @@ class Battlefield extends Core {
         const paramCount = reader.uint(4);
         const params = [];
         for(let i = 0; i < paramCount; i++) {
-            const len = reader.uint(4);
-            params.push(reader.string({length:len}));
+            params.push(reader.pascalString(4));
             const strNull = reader.uint(1);
         }
         return params;
diff --git a/protocols/cs2d.js b/protocols/cs2d.js
index c23ad53..6e98836 100644
--- a/protocols/cs2d.js
+++ b/protocols/cs2d.js
@@ -66,8 +66,7 @@ class Cs2d extends Core {
     }
 
     readString(reader) {
-        const length = reader.uint(1);
-        return reader.string({length:length});
+        return reader.pascalString(1);
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/protocols/doom3.js b/protocols/doom3.js
index 401aa1a..3e23e35 100644
--- a/protocols/doom3.js
+++ b/protocols/doom3.js
@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@ class Doom3 extends Core {
             if(header !== 0xffff) return;
             const header2 = reader.string();
             if(header2 !== 'infoResponse') return;
-            const challengePart1 = reader.string({length:4});
+            const challengePart1 = reader.string(4);
             if (challengePart1 !== "PiNG") return;
             // some doom3 implementations only return the first 4 bytes of the challenge
-            const challengePart2 = reader.string({length:4});
+            const challengePart2 = reader.string(4);
             if (challengePart2 !== 'PoNg') reader.skip(-4);
             return reader.rest();
         });
diff --git a/protocols/gamespy1.js b/protocols/gamespy1.js
index 39da5ae..bd1f0a7 100644
--- a/protocols/gamespy1.js
+++ b/protocols/gamespy1.js
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ class Gamespy1 extends Core {
 
         return await this.udpSend('\\'+type+'\\', buffer => {
             const reader = this.reader(buffer);
-            const str = reader.string({length:buffer.length});
+            const str = reader.string(buffer.length);
             const split = str.split('\\');
             split.shift();
             const data = {};
diff --git a/protocols/m2mp.js b/protocols/m2mp.js
index 3d21fbc..809f505 100644
--- a/protocols/m2mp.js
+++ b/protocols/m2mp.js
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ class M2mp extends Core {
     async run(state) {
         const body = await this.udpSend('M2MP',(buffer) => {
             const reader = this.reader(buffer);
-            const header = reader.string({length: 4});
+            const header = reader.string(4);
             if (header !== 'M2MP') return;
             return reader.rest();
         });
@@ -32,8 +32,7 @@ class M2mp extends Core {
     }
 
     readString(reader) {
-        const length = reader.uint(1);
-        return reader.string({length:length-1});
+        return reader.pascalString(1,-1);
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/protocols/quake2.js b/protocols/quake2.js
index 78215be..3290ac2 100644
--- a/protocols/quake2.js
+++ b/protocols/quake2.js
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ class Quake2 extends Core {
             if (header !== '\xff\xff\xff\xff') return;
             let type;
             if (this.isQuake1) {
-                type = reader.string({length: this.responseHeader.length});
+                type = reader.string(this.responseHeader.length);
             } else {
                 type = reader.string({encoding: 'latin1'});
             }
diff --git a/protocols/samp.js b/protocols/samp.js
index 34a8b77..bc452aa 100644
--- a/protocols/samp.js
+++ b/protocols/samp.js
@@ -20,9 +20,9 @@ class Samp extends Core {
             state.password = !!reader.uint(1);
             state.raw.numplayers = reader.uint(2);
             state.maxplayers = reader.uint(2);
-            state.name = this.readString(reader,4);
-            state.raw.gamemode = this.readString(reader,4);
-            state.raw.map = this.readString(reader,4);
+            state.name = reader.pascalString(4);
+            state.raw.gamemode = reader.pascalString(4);
+            state.raw.map = reader.pascalString(4);
         }
 
         // read rules
@@ -31,8 +31,8 @@ class Samp extends Core {
             const ruleCount = reader.uint(2);
             state.raw.rules = {};
             for(let i = 0; i < ruleCount; i++) {
-                const key = this.readString(reader,1);
-                const value = this.readString(reader,1);
+                const key = reader.pascalString(1);
+                const value = reader.pascalString(1);
                 state.raw.rules[key] = value;
             }
         }
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ class Samp extends Core {
                     const playerCount = reader.uint(2);
                     for(let i = 0; i < playerCount; i++) {
                         const player = {};
-                        player.name = this.readString(reader,1);
+                        player.name = reader.pascalString(1);
                         state.players.push(player);
                     }
                 }
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ class Samp extends Core {
                     for(let i = 0; i < playerCount; i++) {
                         const player = {};
                         player.id = reader.uint(1);
-                        player.name = this.readString(reader,1);
+                        player.name = reader.pascalString(1);
                         player.score = reader.int(4);
                         player.ping = reader.uint(4);
                         state.players.push(player);
@@ -72,11 +72,6 @@ class Samp extends Core {
             state.players = state.raw.numplayers;
         }
     }
-    readString(reader,lenBytes) {
-        const length = reader.uint(lenBytes);
-        if(!length) return '';
-        return reader.string({length:length});
-    }
     async sendPacket(type,allowTimeout) {
         const outBuffer = Buffer.alloc(11);
         outBuffer.write(this.magicHeader,0, 4);
diff --git a/protocols/tribes1.js b/protocols/tribes1.js
index dfd546e..a0a3d8a 100644
--- a/protocols/tribes1.js
+++ b/protocols/tribes1.js
@@ -145,9 +145,7 @@ class Tribes1 extends Core {
             .map((a) => a.trim());
     }
     readString(reader) {
-        const length = reader.uint(1);
-        if(!length) return '';
-        return reader.string({length:length});
+        return reader.pascalString(1);
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/protocols/tribes1master.js b/protocols/tribes1master.js
index c9bfb47..9939242 100644
--- a/protocols/tribes1master.js
+++ b/protocols/tribes1master.js
@@ -74,9 +74,7 @@ class Tribes1Master extends Core {
         }
     }
     readString(reader) {
-        const length = reader.uint(1);
-        if(!length) return '';
-        return reader.string({length:length});
+        return reader.pascalString(1);
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/protocols/unreal2.js b/protocols/unreal2.js
index e2c8d08..7726afc 100644
--- a/protocols/unreal2.js
+++ b/protocols/unreal2.js
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ class Unreal2 extends Core {
         let length = reader.uint(1);
         let out;
         if(length < 0x80) {
-            //out = reader.string({length:length});
+            //out = reader.string(length);
             out = '';
             if(length > 0) out = reader.string();
         } else {