diff --git a/src/addon/manager_ui.cpp b/src/addon/manager_ui.cpp
index 57f3b043df6..901c4ed4b6c 100644
--- a/src/addon/manager_ui.cpp
+++ b/src/addon/manager_ui.cpp
@@ -664,10 +664,10 @@ void show_addons_manager_dialog(display& disp, addons_client& client, addons_lis
 		// Versions are too important in upgrades mode, so don't
 		// truncate them then.
 		if(!updates_only) {
-			utils::truncate_as_wstring(display_version, 12);
+			utils::truncate_as_ucs4string(display_version, 12);
 
 			if(state == ADDON_INSTALLED_UPGRADABLE || state == ADDON_INSTALLED_OUTDATED) {
-				utils::truncate_as_wstring(display_old_version, 12);
+				utils::truncate_as_ucs4string(display_old_version, 12);
 
 				if(state == ADDON_INSTALLED_UPGRADABLE) {
 					display_version =
diff --git a/src/construct_dialog.cpp b/src/construct_dialog.cpp
index 391430a94f4..d288953ba36 100644
--- a/src/construct_dialog.cpp
+++ b/src/construct_dialog.cpp
@@ -910,8 +910,8 @@ void filter_textbox::delete_item(int selection) {
 	/* dialog_.set_menu_items(filtered_items_); */
 }
 
-void filter_textbox::handle_text_changed(const wide_string& text) {
-	const std::vector<std::string> words = utils::split(utils::wstring_to_string(text),' ');
+void filter_textbox::handle_text_changed(const ucs4_string& text) {
+	const std::vector<std::string> words = utils::split(utils::ucs4string_to_string(text),' ');
 	if (words == last_words)
 		return;
 	last_words = words;
diff --git a/src/construct_dialog.hpp b/src/construct_dialog.hpp
index 9d47806d20d..72046c592c5 100644
--- a/src/construct_dialog.hpp
+++ b/src/construct_dialog.hpp
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ private:
 	std::vector<std::string> last_words;
 	size_t header_row_;
 	gui::dialog& dialog_;
-	virtual void handle_text_changed(const wide_string& text);
+	virtual void handle_text_changed(const ucs4_string& text);
 };
 
 class dialog_button : public button {
diff --git a/src/desktop_util.cpp b/src/desktop_util.cpp
index 3e9321a2e06..07fa781aa3b 100644
--- a/src/desktop_util.cpp
+++ b/src/desktop_util.cpp
@@ -91,10 +91,11 @@ bool open_object(const std::string& path_or_url)
 
 	LOG_DU << "open_object(): on Win32, will use ShellExecute()\n";
 
-	wide_string wpath = utils::string_to_wstring(path_or_url);
-	wpath.push_back(wchar_t(0)); // Make wpath NULL-terminated
+	ucs4_string u4path = utils::string_to_ucs4string(path_or_url);
+	utf16_string u16path = utils::ucs4string_to_utf16string(u4path);
+	u16path.push_back(wchar_t(0)); // Make wpath NULL-terminated
 
-	const ptrdiff_t res = reinterpret_cast<ptrdiff_t>(ShellExecute(NULL, L"open", &wpath.front(), NULL, NULL, SW_SHOW));
+	const ptrdiff_t res = reinterpret_cast<ptrdiff_t>(ShellExecute(NULL, L"open", &u16path.front(), NULL, NULL, SW_SHOW));
 	if(res <= 32) {
 		ERR_DU << "open_object(): ShellExecute() failed (" << res << ")\n";
 		return false;
diff --git a/src/dialogs.cpp b/src/dialogs.cpp
index 1392fd090a3..0c9a7dc5ab0 100644
--- a/src/dialogs.cpp
+++ b/src/dialogs.cpp
@@ -924,7 +924,7 @@ std::string load_game_dialog(display& disp, const config& game_config, bool* sel
 	std::vector<savegame::save_info>::const_iterator i;
 	for(i = games.begin(); i != games.end(); ++i) {
 		std::string name = i->name();
-		utils::truncate_as_wstring(name, std::min<size_t>(name.size(), 40));
+		utils::truncate_as_ucs4string(name, std::min<size_t>(name.size(), 40));
 
 		std::ostringstream str;
 		str << name << COLUMN_SEPARATOR << util::format_time_summary(i->modified());
diff --git a/src/gui/dialogs/addon_list.cpp b/src/gui/dialogs/addon_list.cpp
index d479386cfbe..7301470ddc1 100644
--- a/src/gui/dialogs/addon_list.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/dialogs/addon_list.cpp
@@ -177,17 +177,17 @@ void taddon_list::pre_show(CVideo& /*video*/, twindow& window)
 			data.insert(std::make_pair("icon", item));
 
 			std::string tmp = c["name"];
-			utils::truncate_as_wstring(tmp, 20);
+			utils::truncate_as_ucs4string(tmp, 20);
 			item["label"] = tmp;
 			data.insert(std::make_pair("name", item));
 
 			tmp = c["version"].str();
-			utils::truncate_as_wstring(tmp, 12);
+			utils::truncate_as_ucs4string(tmp, 12);
 			item["label"] = tmp;
 			data.insert(std::make_pair("version", item));
 
 			tmp = c["author"].str();
-			utils::truncate_as_wstring(tmp, 16);
+			utils::truncate_as_ucs4string(tmp, 16);
 			item["label"] = tmp;
 			data.insert(std::make_pair("author", item));
 
@@ -213,17 +213,17 @@ void taddon_list::create_campaign(tpane& pane, const config& campaign)
 	data.insert(std::make_pair("icon", item));
 
 	std::string tmp = campaign["name"];
-	utils::truncate_as_wstring(tmp, 20);
+	utils::truncate_as_ucs4string(tmp, 20);
 	item["label"] = tmp;
 	data.insert(std::make_pair("name", item));
 
 	tmp = campaign["version"].str();
-	utils::truncate_as_wstring(tmp, 12);
+	utils::truncate_as_ucs4string(tmp, 12);
 	item["label"] = tmp;
 	data.insert(std::make_pair("version", item));
 
 	tmp = campaign["author"].str();
-	utils::truncate_as_wstring(tmp, 16);
+	utils::truncate_as_ucs4string(tmp, 16);
 	item["label"] = tmp;
 	data.insert(std::make_pair("author", item));
 
diff --git a/src/gui/widgets/password_box.cpp b/src/gui/widgets/password_box.cpp
index 3e2842c2a10..55e0b27c982 100644
--- a/src/gui/widgets/password_box.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/widgets/password_box.cpp
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ namespace
 
 size_t get_text_length(const std::string& str)
 {
-	return utils::string_to_wstring(str).size();
+	return utils::string_to_ucs4string(str).size();
 }
 
 } // namespace
diff --git a/src/gui/widgets/text.cpp b/src/gui/widgets/text.cpp
index b96f77ca036..bdf1a05f2db 100644
--- a/src/gui/widgets/text.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/widgets/text.cpp
@@ -154,9 +154,9 @@ void ttext_::copy_selection(const bool mouse)
 		start -= length;
 	}
 
-	const wide_string& wtext = utils::string_to_wstring(text_.text());
-	const std::string& text = utils::wstring_to_string(
-			wide_string(wtext.begin() + start, wtext.begin() + start + length));
+	const ucs4_string& wtext = utils::string_to_ucs4string(text_.text());
+	const std::string& text = utils::ucs4string_to_string(
+			ucs4_string(wtext.begin() + start, wtext.begin() + start + length));
 
 	copy_to_clipboard(text, mouse);
 }
diff --git a/src/gui/widgets/text_box.cpp b/src/gui/widgets/text_box.cpp
index a9b6bd7e243..70143e05820 100644
--- a/src/gui/widgets/text_box.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/widgets/text_box.cpp
@@ -209,9 +209,9 @@ void ttext_box::delete_selection()
 	}
 
 	// Update the text, we need to assume it's a wide string.
-	wide_string tmp = utils::string_to_wstring(get_value());
+	ucs4_string tmp = utils::string_to_ucs4string(get_value());
 	tmp.erase(tmp.begin() + start, tmp.begin() + start + len);
-	const std::string& text = utils::wstring_to_string(tmp);
+	const std::string& text = utils::ucs4string_to_string(tmp);
 	set_value(text);
 	set_cursor(start, false);
 }
diff --git a/src/help.cpp b/src/help.cpp
index 118ef827a3b..0d095ef1b2f 100644
--- a/src/help.cpp
+++ b/src/help.cpp
@@ -3346,9 +3346,9 @@ std::string get_first_word(const std::string &s)
 	if (ch == utils::utf8_iterator::end(re))
 		return re;
 
-	wchar_t firstchar = *ch;
+	ucs4char firstchar = *ch;
 	if (font::is_cjk_char(firstchar)) {
-		re = utils::wchar_to_string(firstchar);
+		re = utils::ucs4char_to_string(firstchar);
 	}
 	return re;
 }
diff --git a/src/hotkey/hotkey_item.cpp b/src/hotkey/hotkey_item.cpp
index db0039ba346..7e73a26e873 100644
--- a/src/hotkey/hotkey_item.cpp
+++ b/src/hotkey/hotkey_item.cpp
@@ -360,7 +360,7 @@ void hotkey_item::load_from_config(const config& cfg)
 		return;
 	}
 
-	wide_string wkey = utils::string_to_wstring(key);
+	ucs4_string wkey = utils::string_to_ucs4string(key);
 
 	// They may really want a specific key on the keyboard:
 	// we assume that any single character keyname is a character.
@@ -462,7 +462,7 @@ void hotkey_item::save(config& item) const
 	if (get_hat()       >= 0) item["hat"]      = get_hat();
 	if (get_value()     >= 0) item["value"]    = get_value();
 	if (get_keycode()   >= 0) item["key"]      = SDL_GetKeyName(SDLKey(get_keycode()));
-	if (get_character() >= 0) item["key"]      = utils::wchar_to_string(get_character());
+	if (get_character() >= 0) item["key"]      = utils::ucs4char_to_string(get_character());
 	if (get_mouse()     >= 0) item["mouse"]    = get_mouse();
 	if (get_button()    >= 0) item["button"]   = get_button();
 
diff --git a/src/marked-up_text.cpp b/src/marked-up_text.cpp
index ae0d5b338a2..c5eccb55875 100644
--- a/src/marked-up_text.cpp
+++ b/src/marked-up_text.cpp
@@ -261,7 +261,7 @@ bool is_format_char(char c)
 	}
 }
 
-bool is_cjk_char(const wchar_t c)
+bool is_cjk_char(const ucs4char ch)
 {
 	/**
 	 * You can check these range at http://unicode.org/charts/
@@ -270,9 +270,6 @@ bool is_cjk_char(const wchar_t c)
 	 * Below are characters that I guess may be used in wesnoth translations.
 	 */
 
-	// cast to silence a windows warning (uses only 16bit for wchar_t)
-	const unsigned int ch = static_cast<unsigned int>(c);
-
 	//FIXME add range from Japanese-specific and Korean-specific section if you know the characters are used today.
 
 	if (ch < 0x2e80) return false; // shortcut for common non-CJK
@@ -359,7 +356,7 @@ namespace {
  *   CJK 标点符号 (CJK punctuations)
  *   http://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U3000.pdf
  */
-inline bool no_break_after(const wchar_t ch)
+inline bool no_break_after(const ucs4char ch)
 {
 	return
 		/**
@@ -380,7 +377,7 @@ inline bool no_break_after(const wchar_t ch)
 		ch == 0x3016 || ch == 0x301a || ch == 0x301d;
 }
 
-inline bool no_break_before(const wchar_t ch)
+inline bool no_break_before(const ucs4char ch)
 {
 	return
 		/**
@@ -417,7 +414,7 @@ inline bool no_break_before(const wchar_t ch)
 		ch == 0x301b || ch == 0x301e;
 }
 
-inline bool break_before(const wchar_t ch)
+inline bool break_before(const ucs4char ch)
 {
 	if(no_break_before(ch))
 		return false;
@@ -425,7 +422,7 @@ inline bool break_before(const wchar_t ch)
 	return is_cjk_char(ch);
 }
 
-inline bool break_after(const wchar_t ch)
+inline bool break_after(const ucs4char ch)
 {
 	if(no_break_after(ch))
 		return false;
@@ -459,7 +456,7 @@ std::string word_wrap_text(const std::string& unwrapped_text, int font_size,
 		if(start_of_line) {
 			line_width = 0;
 			format_string.clear();
-			while(ch != end && *ch < static_cast<wchar_t>(0x100)
+			while(ch != end && *ch < static_cast<ucs4char>(0x100)
 					&& is_format_char(*ch) && !ch.next_is_end()) {
 
 				format_string.append(ch.substr().first, ch.substr().second);
@@ -482,7 +479,7 @@ std::string word_wrap_text(const std::string& unwrapped_text, int font_size,
 				current_word = *ch;
 				++ch;
 			} else {
-				wchar_t previous = 0;
+				ucs4char previous = 0;
 				for(;ch != utils::utf8_iterator::end(unwrapped_text) &&
 						*ch != ' ' && *ch != '\n'; ++ch) {
 
diff --git a/src/marked-up_text.hpp b/src/marked-up_text.hpp
index 6904b550b92..627fae9a356 100644
--- a/src/marked-up_text.hpp
+++ b/src/marked-up_text.hpp
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ class CVideo;
 struct surface;
 #include <SDL_video.h>
 #include <string>
+#include "serialization/string_utils.hpp"
 
 namespace font {
 
@@ -95,12 +96,12 @@ std::string del_tags(const std::string& text);
 bool is_format_char(char c);
 
 /**
- * Determine if a wchar_t is a CJK character
+ * Determine if a ucs4char is a CJK character
  *
  * @retval true                   Input-char is a CJK char
  * @retval false                  Input-char is a not CJK char.
  */
-bool is_cjk_char(const wchar_t ch);
+bool is_cjk_char(const ucs4char ch);
 
 /** Create string of color-markup, such as "<255,255,0>" for yellow. */
 std::string color2markup(const SDL_Color &color);
diff --git a/src/race.cpp b/src/race.cpp
index 2d2fbbc6e2a..6d759ea29fd 100644
--- a/src/race.cpp
+++ b/src/race.cpp
@@ -44,12 +44,12 @@ static const config &empty_topics() {
 		return cfg;
 }
 
-static void add_prefixes(const wide_string& str, size_t length, markov_prefix_map& res)
+static void add_prefixes(const ucs4_string& str, size_t length, markov_prefix_map& res)
 {
 	for(size_t i = 0; i <= str.size(); ++i) {
 		const size_t start = i > length ? i - length : 0;
-		const wide_string key(str.begin() + start, str.begin() + i);
-		const wchar_t c = i != str.size() ? str[i] : 0;
+		const ucs4_string key(str.begin() + start, str.begin() + i);
+		const ucs4char c = i != str.size() ? str[i] : 0;
 		res[key].push_back(c);
 	}
 }
@@ -59,19 +59,19 @@ static markov_prefix_map markov_prefixes(const std::vector<std::string>& items,
 	markov_prefix_map res;
 
 	for(std::vector<std::string>::const_iterator i = items.begin(); i != items.end(); ++i) {
-		add_prefixes(utils::string_to_wstring(*i),length,res);
+		add_prefixes(utils::string_to_ucs4string(*i),length,res);
 	}
 
 	return res;
 }
 
-static wide_string markov_generate_name(const markov_prefix_map& prefixes,
+static ucs4_string markov_generate_name(const markov_prefix_map& prefixes,
 	size_t chain_size, size_t max_len, rand_rng::simple_rng* rng)
 {
 	if(chain_size == 0)
-		return wide_string();
+		return ucs4_string();
 
-	wide_string prefix, res;
+	ucs4_string prefix, res;
 
 	// Since this function is called in the name description in a MP game it
 	// uses the local locale. The locale between players can be different and
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ static wide_string markov_generate_name(const markov_prefix_map& prefixes,
 			return res;
 		}
 
-		const wchar_t c = i->second[random[j++]%i->second.size()];
+		const ucs4char c = i->second[random[j++]%i->second.size()];
 		if(c == 0) {
 			return res;
 		}
@@ -119,17 +119,17 @@ static wide_string markov_generate_name(const markov_prefix_map& prefixes,
 	// name has end-of-string as a possible next character in the
 	// markov prefix map. If no valid ending is found, use the
 	// originally generated name.
-	wide_string originalRes = res;
+	ucs4_string originalRes = res;
 	int prefixLen;
 	while(!res.empty()) {
 		prefixLen = chain_size < res.size() ? chain_size : res.size();
-		prefix = wide_string(res.end() - prefixLen, res.end());
+		prefix = ucs4_string(res.end() - prefixLen, res.end());
 
 		const markov_prefix_map::const_iterator i = prefixes.find(prefix);
 		if (i == prefixes.end() || i->second.empty()) {
 			return res;
 		}
-		if (std::find(i->second.begin(), i->second.end(), static_cast<wchar_t>(0))
+		if (std::find(i->second.begin(), i->second.end(), static_cast<ucs4char>(0))
 				!= i->second.end()) {
 			// This ending is valid.
 			return res;
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ unit_race::unit_race(const config& cfg) :
 std::string unit_race::generate_name(
 		unit_race::GENDER gender, rand_rng::simple_rng* rng) const
 {
-	return utils::wstring_to_string(
+	return utils::ucs4string_to_string(
 		markov_generate_name(next_[gender], chain_size_, 12, rng));
 }
 
diff --git a/src/race.hpp b/src/race.hpp
index 700e0affadf..7e5b90794c6 100644
--- a/src/race.hpp
+++ b/src/race.hpp
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ namespace rand_rng {
 } // namespace rand_rng
 
 
-typedef std::map<wide_string, std::vector<wchar_t> > markov_prefix_map;
+typedef std::map<ucs4_string, ucs4_string > markov_prefix_map;
 
 class unit_race
 {
diff --git a/src/serialization/string_utils.cpp b/src/serialization/string_utils.cpp
index ac50f9cb426..27607ad3555 100644
--- a/src/serialization/string_utils.cpp
+++ b/src/serialization/string_utils.cpp
@@ -25,7 +25,9 @@
 #include "log.hpp"
 #include "serialization/string_utils.hpp"
 #include "util.hpp"
+#include <limits>
 #include <boost/array.hpp>
+#include <boost/foreach.hpp>
 #include <boost/lexical_cast.hpp>
 
 static lg::log_domain log_engine("engine");
@@ -862,6 +864,24 @@ static int byte_size_from_utf8_first(unsigned char ch)
 	return count;
 }
 
+static size_t byte_size_from_ucs4_codepoint(ucs4char ch)
+{
+	if(ch < (1u << 7))
+		return 1;
+	else if(ch < (1u << 11))
+		return 2;
+	else if(ch < (1u << 16))
+		return 3;
+	else if(ch < (1u << 21))
+		return 4;
+	else if(ch < (1u << 26))
+		return 5;
+	else if(ch < (1u << 31))
+		return 6;
+	else
+		throw invalid_utf8_exception(); // Invalid UCS-4
+}
+
 utf8_iterator::utf8_iterator(const std::string& str) :
 	current_char(0),
 	string_end(str.end()),
@@ -901,7 +921,7 @@ utf8_iterator& utf8_iterator::operator++()
 	return *this;
 }
 
-wchar_t utf8_iterator::operator*() const
+ucs4char utf8_iterator::operator*() const
 {
 	return current_char;
 }
@@ -946,35 +966,25 @@ void utf8_iterator::update()
 
 		current_char = (current_char << 6) | (static_cast<unsigned char>(*c) & 0x3F);
 	}
+
+	// Check for non-shortest-form encoding
+	// This has been forbidden in Unicode 3.1 for security reasons
+	if (size > byte_size_from_ucs4_codepoint(current_char))
+		throw invalid_utf8_exception();
 }
 
 
-std::string wstring_to_string(const wide_string &src)
+std::string ucs4string_to_string(const ucs4_string &src)
 {
 	std::string ret;
 
 	try {
-		for(wide_string::const_iterator i = src.begin(); i != src.end(); ++i) {
+		for(ucs4_string::const_iterator i = src.begin(); i != src.end(); ++i) {
 			unsigned int count;
-			wchar_t ch = *i;
+			ucs4char ch = *i;
 
 			// Determine the bytes required
-			count = 1;
-			if(ch >= 0x80)
-				count++;
-
-			Uint32 bitmask = 0x800;
-			for(unsigned int j = 0; j < 5; ++j) {
-				if(static_cast<Uint32>(ch) >= bitmask) {
-					count++;
-				}
-
-				bitmask <<= 5;
-			}
-
-			if(count > 6) {
-				throw invalid_utf8_exception();
-			}
+			count = byte_size_from_ucs4_codepoint(ch);
 
 			if(count == 1) {
 				ret.push_back(static_cast<char>(ch));
@@ -994,21 +1004,21 @@ std::string wstring_to_string(const wide_string &src)
 		return ret;
 	}
 	catch(invalid_utf8_exception&) {
-		ERR_GENERAL << "Invalid wide character string\n";
+		ERR_GENERAL << "Invalid UCS-4 character string\n";
 		return ret;
 	}
 }
 
-std::string wchar_to_string(const wchar_t c)
+std::string ucs4char_to_string(const ucs4char c)
 {
-	wide_string s;
+	ucs4_string s;
 	s.push_back(c);
-	return wstring_to_string(s);
+	return ucs4string_to_string(s);
 }
 
-wide_string string_to_wstring(const std::string &src)
+ucs4_string string_to_ucs4string(const std::string &src)
 {
-	wide_string res;
+	ucs4_string res;
 
 	try {
 		utf8_iterator i1(src);
@@ -1028,6 +1038,28 @@ wide_string string_to_wstring(const std::string &src)
 	return res;
 }
 
+utf16_string ucs4string_to_utf16string(const ucs4_string &src)
+{
+	utf16_string res;
+	const Uint32 bit17 = 0x10000;
+	BOOST_FOREACH(const ucs4char &u4, src) {
+		if(u4 < bit17)
+			res.push_back(static_cast<wchar_t>(u4));
+		else {
+			const Uint32 char20 = u4 - bit17;
+			assert(char20 < (1 << 20));
+			const ucs4char lead = 0xD800 + (char20 >> 10);
+			const ucs4char trail = 0xDC00 + (char20 & 0x3FF);
+			assert(lead < bit17);
+			assert(trail < bit17);
+			res.push_back(static_cast<wchar_t>(lead));
+			res.push_back(static_cast<wchar_t>(trail));
+		}
+	}
+
+	return res;
+}
+
 utf8_string lowercase(const utf8_string& s)
 {
 	if(!s.empty()) {
@@ -1035,15 +1067,12 @@ utf8_string lowercase(const utf8_string& s)
 		std::string res;
 
 		for(;itor != utf8_iterator::end(s); ++itor) {
-#if defined(__APPLE__) || defined(__OpenBSD__)
-			/** @todo FIXME: Should we support towupper on recent OSX platforms? */
-			wchar_t uchar = *itor;
-			if(uchar >= 0 && uchar < 0x100)
-				uchar = tolower(uchar);
-			res += utils::wchar_to_string(uchar);
-#else
-			res += utils::wchar_to_string(towlower(*itor));
-#endif
+			ucs4char uchar = *itor;
+			// If wchar_t is less than 32 bits wide, we cannot apply towlower() to all codepoints
+			if(uchar <= static_cast<ucs4char>(std::numeric_limits<wchar_t>::max()) &&
+			   uchar >= static_cast<ucs4char>(std::numeric_limits<wchar_t>::min()))
+				uchar = towlower(static_cast<wchar_t>(uchar));
+			res += utils::ucs4char_to_string(uchar);
 		}
 
 		res.append(itor.substr().second, s.end());
@@ -1052,12 +1081,12 @@ utf8_string lowercase(const utf8_string& s)
 	return s;
 }
 
-void truncate_as_wstring(std::string& str, const size_t size)
+void truncate_as_ucs4string(std::string& str, const size_t size)
 {
-	wide_string utf8_str = utils::string_to_wstring(str);
+	ucs4_string utf8_str = utils::string_to_ucs4string(str);
 	if(utf8_str.size() > size) {
 		utf8_str.resize(size);
-		str = utils::wstring_to_string(utf8_str);
+		str = utils::ucs4string_to_string(utf8_str);
 	}
 }
 
@@ -1065,7 +1094,7 @@ void ellipsis_truncate(std::string& str, const size_t size)
 {
 	const size_t prev_size = str.length();
 
-	truncate_as_wstring(str, size);
+	truncate_as_ucs4string(str, size);
 
 	if(str.length() != prev_size) {
 		str += ellipsis;
diff --git a/src/serialization/string_utils.hpp b/src/serialization/string_utils.hpp
index 494f1528c9a..8d837139160 100644
--- a/src/serialization/string_utils.hpp
+++ b/src/serialization/string_utils.hpp
@@ -26,10 +26,15 @@
 
 #include "SDL_types.h"
 
-/** The type we use to represent Unicode strings. */
-typedef std::vector<wchar_t> wide_string;
-typedef std::vector<Uint32> ucs4_string;
+typedef Uint32 ucs4char;
+typedef std::vector<ucs4char> ucs4_string;
 typedef std::string utf8_string;
+/**
+ * For win32 API.
+ * On windows, wchar_t is defined as Uint16
+ * Wide strings are expected to be UTF-16
+ */
+typedef std::vector<wchar_t> utf16_string;
 
 class t_string;
 
@@ -323,10 +328,10 @@ class utf8_iterator
 {
 public:
 	typedef std::input_iterator_tag iterator_category;
-	typedef wchar_t value_type;
+	typedef ucs4char value_type;
 	typedef ptrdiff_t difference_type;
-	typedef wchar_t* pointer;
-	typedef wchar_t& reference;
+	typedef ucs4char* pointer;
+	typedef ucs4char& reference;
 
 	utf8_iterator(const std::string& str);
 	utf8_iterator(std::string::const_iterator const &begin, std::string::const_iterator const &end);
@@ -337,20 +342,22 @@ public:
 	bool operator==(const utf8_iterator& a) const;
 	bool operator!=(const utf8_iterator& a) const { return ! (*this == a); }
 	utf8_iterator& operator++();
-	wchar_t operator*() const;
+	ucs4char operator*() const;
 	bool next_is_end();
 	const std::pair<std::string::const_iterator, std::string::const_iterator>& substr() const;
 private:
 	void update();
 
-	wchar_t current_char;
+	ucs4char current_char;
 	std::string::const_iterator string_end;
 	std::pair<std::string::const_iterator, std::string::const_iterator> current_substr;
 };
 
-std::string wstring_to_string(const wide_string &);
-wide_string string_to_wstring(const std::string &);
-std::string wchar_to_string(const wchar_t);
+std::string ucs4string_to_string(const ucs4_string &);
+ucs4_string string_to_ucs4string(const std::string &);
+std::string ucs4char_to_string(const ucs4char);
+
+utf16_string ucs4string_to_utf16string(const ucs4_string &);
 
 /** Returns a lowercased version of the string. */
 utf8_string lowercase(const utf8_string&);
@@ -368,7 +375,7 @@ utf8_string lowercase(const utf8_string&);
  *                       characters.
  * @param size         The size to truncate at.
  */
-void truncate_as_wstring(std::string& str, const size_t size);
+void truncate_as_ucs4string(std::string& str, const size_t size);
 
 /**
  * Truncates a string to a given utf-8 character count and then appends an ellipsis.
diff --git a/src/server/player_network.cpp b/src/server/player_network.cpp
index 2a5543ecd49..c3a89dfaffb 100644
--- a/src/server/player_network.cpp
+++ b/src/server/player_network.cpp
@@ -29,12 +29,12 @@ const size_t max_message_length = 256;
 void truncate_message(const simple_wml::string_span& str, simple_wml::node& message)
 {
 	// testing for msg.size() is not sufficient but we're not getting false negatives
-	// and it's cheaper than always converting to wstring.
+	// and it's cheaper than always converting to ucs4_string.
 	if(str.size() > static_cast<int>(chat_message::max_message_length)) {
 		std::string tmp(str.begin(), str.end());
-		// The string can contain utf-8 characters so truncate as wide_string otherwise
+		// The string can contain utf-8 characters so truncate as ucs4_string otherwise
 		// a corrupted utf-8 string can be returned.
-		utils::truncate_as_wstring(tmp, max_message_length);
+		utils::truncate_as_ucs4string(tmp, max_message_length);
 		message.set_attr_dup("message", tmp.c_str());
 	}
 }
diff --git a/src/text.cpp b/src/text.cpp
index 045b74fa195..f1101f16d40 100644
--- a/src/text.cpp
+++ b/src/text.cpp
@@ -185,15 +185,15 @@ unsigned ttext::insert_text(const unsigned offset, const std::string& text)
 		return 0;
 	}
 
-	return insert_unicode(offset, utils::string_to_wstring(text));
+	return insert_unicode(offset, utils::string_to_ucs4string(text));
 }
 
-bool ttext::insert_unicode(const unsigned offset, const wchar_t unicode)
+bool ttext::insert_unicode(const unsigned offset, ucs4char unicode)
 {
-	return (insert_unicode(offset, wide_string(1, unicode)) == 1);
+	return (insert_unicode(offset, ucs4_string(1, unicode)) == 1);
 }
 
-unsigned ttext::insert_unicode(const unsigned offset, const wide_string& unicode)
+unsigned ttext::insert_unicode(const unsigned offset, const ucs4_string& unicode)
 {
 	assert(offset <= length_);
 
@@ -204,10 +204,10 @@ unsigned ttext::insert_unicode(const unsigned offset, const wide_string& unicode
 	const unsigned len = length_ + unicode.size() > maximum_length_
 		? maximum_length_ - length_  : unicode.size();
 
-	wide_string tmp = utils::string_to_wstring(text_);
+	ucs4_string tmp = utils::string_to_ucs4string(text_);
 	tmp.insert(tmp.begin() + offset, unicode.begin(), unicode.begin() + len);
 
-	set_text(utils::wstring_to_string(tmp), false);
+	set_text(utils::ucs4string_to_string(tmp), false);
 
 	return len;
 }
@@ -295,8 +295,8 @@ bool ttext::set_text(const std::string& text, const bool markedup)
 	if(markedup != markedup_text_ || text != text_) {
 		assert(layout_);
 
-		const wide_string wide = utils::string_to_wstring(text);
-		const std::string narrow = utils::wstring_to_string(wide);
+		const ucs4_string wide = utils::string_to_ucs4string(text);
+		const std::string narrow = utils::ucs4string_to_string(wide);
 		if(text != narrow) {
 			ERR_GUI_L << "ttext::" << __func__
 					<< " text '" << text
@@ -450,9 +450,9 @@ ttext& ttext::set_maximum_length(const size_t maximum_length)
 		maximum_length_ = maximum_length;
 		if(length_ > maximum_length_) {
 
-			wide_string tmp = utils::string_to_wstring(text_);
+			ucs4_string tmp = utils::string_to_ucs4string(text_);
 			tmp.resize(maximum_length_);
-			set_text(utils::wstring_to_string(tmp), false);
+			set_text(utils::ucs4string_to_string(tmp), false);
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/text.hpp b/src/text.hpp
index 43ea27287b7..23f62ce3431 100644
--- a/src/text.hpp
+++ b/src/text.hpp
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 #define TEXT_HPP_INCLUDED
 
 #include "sdl_utils.hpp"
+#include "serialization/string_utils.hpp"
 
 #include <boost/noncopyable.hpp>
 
@@ -101,7 +102,7 @@ public:
 	 *
 	 * @returns                   True upon success, false otherwise.
 	 */
-	bool insert_unicode(const unsigned offset, const wchar_t unicode);
+	bool insert_unicode(const unsigned offset, ucs4char unicode);
 
 	/**
 	 * Inserts unicode text.
@@ -112,7 +113,7 @@ public:
 	 * @returns                   The number of characters inserted.
 	 */
 	unsigned insert_unicode(
-		const unsigned offset, const std::vector<wchar_t>& unicode);
+		const unsigned offset, const ucs4_string& unicode);
 
 	/***** ***** ***** ***** Font flags ***** ***** ***** *****/
 
diff --git a/src/widgets/textbox.cpp b/src/widgets/textbox.cpp
index 28b3d4b5acd..14c97f25a52 100644
--- a/src/widgets/textbox.cpp
+++ b/src/widgets/textbox.cpp
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ static lg::log_domain log_display("display");
 namespace gui {
 
 textbox::textbox(CVideo &video, int width, const std::string& text, bool editable, size_t max_size, int font_size, double alpha, double alpha_focus, const bool auto_join)
-	   : scrollarea(video, auto_join), max_size_(max_size), font_size_(font_size), text_(utils::string_to_wstring(text)),
+	   : scrollarea(video, auto_join), max_size_(max_size), font_size_(font_size), text_(utils::string_to_ucs4string(text)),
 	     cursor_(text_.size()), selstart_(-1), selend_(-1),
 	     grabmouse_(false), text_pos_(0), editable_(editable),
 	     show_cursor_(true), show_cursor_at_(0), text_image_(NULL),
@@ -65,14 +65,14 @@ void textbox::set_inner_location(SDL_Rect const &rect)
 
 const std::string textbox::text() const
 {
-	const std::string &ret = utils::wstring_to_string(text_);
+	const std::string &ret = utils::ucs4string_to_string(text_);
 	return ret;
 }
 
 // set_text does not respect max_size_
 void textbox::set_text(const std::string& text, const SDL_Color& color)
 {
-	text_ = utils::string_to_wstring(text);
+	text_ = utils::string_to_ucs4string(text);
 	cursor_ = text_.size();
 	text_pos_ = 0;
 	selstart_ = -1;
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ void textbox::append_text(const std::string& text, bool auto_scroll, const SDL_C
 		return;
 	}
 	const bool is_at_bottom = get_position() == get_max_position();
-	const wide_string& wtext = utils::string_to_wstring(text);
+	const ucs4_string& wtext = utils::string_to_ucs4string(text);
 
 	const surface new_text = add_text_line(wtext, color);
 	surface new_surface = create_compatible_surface(text_image_,std::max<size_t>(text_image_->w,new_text->w),text_image_->h+new_text->h);
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ void textbox::scroll(unsigned int pos)
 	set_dirty(true);
 }
 
-surface textbox::add_text_line(const wide_string& text, const SDL_Color& color)
+surface textbox::add_text_line(const ucs4_string& text, const SDL_Color& color)
 {
 	line_height_ = font::get_max_height(font_size_);
 
@@ -303,17 +303,17 @@ surface textbox::add_text_line(const wide_string& text, const SDL_Color& color)
 	// some more complex scripts (that is, RTL languages). This part of the work should
 	// actually be done by the font-rendering system.
 	std::string visible_string;
-	wide_string wrapped_text;
+	ucs4_string wrapped_text;
 
-	wide_string::const_iterator backup_itor = text.end();
+	ucs4_string::const_iterator backup_itor = text.end();
 
-	wide_string::const_iterator itor = text.begin();
+	ucs4_string::const_iterator itor = text.begin();
 	while(itor != text.end()) {
 		//If this is a space, save copies of the current state so we can roll back
 		if(char(*itor) == ' ') {
 			backup_itor = itor;
 		}
-		visible_string.append(utils::wchar_to_string(*itor));
+		visible_string.append(utils::ucs4char_to_string(*itor));
 
 		if(char(*itor) == '\n') {
 			backup_itor = text.end();
@@ -333,7 +333,7 @@ surface textbox::add_text_line(const wide_string& text, const SDL_Color& color)
 				}
 			}
 			backup_itor = text.end();
-			wrapped_text.push_back(wchar_t('\n'));
+			wrapped_text.push_back(ucs4char('\n'));
 			char_x_.push_back(0);
 			char_y_.push_back(char_y_.back() + line_height_);
 			visible_string = "";
@@ -345,7 +345,7 @@ surface textbox::add_text_line(const wide_string& text, const SDL_Color& color)
 		}
 	}
 
-	const std::string s = utils::wstring_to_string(wrapped_text);
+	const std::string s = utils::ucs4string_to_string(wrapped_text);
 	const surface res(font::get_rendered_text(s, font_size_, color));
 
 	return res;
@@ -386,7 +386,7 @@ void textbox::erase_selection()
 	if(!is_selection())
 		return;
 
-	wide_string::iterator itor = text_.begin() + std::min(selstart_, selend_);
+	ucs4_string::iterator itor = text_.begin() + std::min(selstart_, selend_);
 	text_.erase(itor, itor + abs(selend_ - selstart_));
 	cursor_ = std::min(selstart_, selend_);
 	selstart_ = selend_ = -1;
@@ -580,9 +580,9 @@ void textbox::handle_event(const SDL_Event& event, bool was_forwarded)
 	}
 
 #if SDL_VERSION_ATLEAST(2, 0, 0)
-	wchar_t character = key.scancode;
+	ucs4char character = key.scancode;
 #else
-	wchar_t character = key.unicode;
+	ucs4char character = key.unicode;
 #endif
 
 	//movement characters may have a "Unicode" field on some platforms, so ignore it.
@@ -615,7 +615,7 @@ void textbox::handle_event(const SDL_Event& event, bool was_forwarded)
 				//cut off anything after the first newline
 				str.erase(std::find_if(str.begin(),str.end(),utils::isnewline),str.end());
 
-				wide_string s = utils::string_to_wstring(str);
+				ucs4_string s = utils::string_to_ucs4string(str);
 
 				if(text_.size() < max_size_) {
 					if(s.size() + text_.size() > max_size_) {
@@ -636,8 +636,8 @@ void textbox::handle_event(const SDL_Event& event, bool was_forwarded)
 						const size_t beg = std::min<size_t>(size_t(selstart_),size_t(selend_));
 						const size_t end = std::max<size_t>(size_t(selstart_),size_t(selend_));
 
-						wide_string ws = wide_string(text_.begin() + beg, text_.begin() + end);
-						std::string s = utils::wstring_to_string(ws);
+						ucs4_string ws(text_.begin() + beg, text_.begin() + end);
+						std::string s = utils::ucs4string_to_string(ws);
 						copy_to_clipboard(s, false);
 					}
 				}
diff --git a/src/widgets/textbox.hpp b/src/widgets/textbox.hpp
index ad998a013a4..2e73084c2f7 100644
--- a/src/widgets/textbox.hpp
+++ b/src/widgets/textbox.hpp
@@ -55,13 +55,13 @@ protected:
 	virtual void scroll(unsigned int pos);
 
 private:
-	virtual void handle_text_changed(const wide_string&) {}
+	virtual void handle_text_changed(const ucs4_string&) {}
 
 	size_t max_size_;
 
 	int font_size_;
 
-	wide_string text_;
+	ucs4_string text_;
 
 	// mutable unsigned int firstOnScreen_;
 	int cursor_;
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ private:
 
 	void draw_cursor(int pos, CVideo &video) const;
 	void update_text_cache(bool reset = false, const SDL_Color& color =font::NORMAL_COLOR);
-	surface add_text_line(const wide_string& text, const SDL_Color& color =font::NORMAL_COLOR);
+	surface add_text_line(const ucs4_string& text, const SDL_Color& color =font::NORMAL_COLOR);
 	bool is_selection();
 	void erase_selection();
 
diff --git a/src/windows_tray_notification.cpp b/src/windows_tray_notification.cpp
index 39bd37b31e6..03fd5a213db 100644
--- a/src/windows_tray_notification.cpp
+++ b/src/windows_tray_notification.cpp
@@ -1,210 +1,211 @@
-/*
-   Copyright (C) 2013 - 2014 by Maxim Biro <nurupo.contributions@gmail.com>
-   Part of the Battle for Wesnoth Project http://www.wesnoth.org/
-
-   This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
-   it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
-   the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
-   (at your option) any later version.
-   This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
-   but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY.
-
-   See the COPYING file for more details.
-*/
-
-#include "windows_tray_notification.hpp"
-
-#include <SDL_syswm.h>
-
-#include "gettext.hpp"
-#include "serialization/string_utils.hpp"
-
-NOTIFYICONDATA* windows_tray_notification::nid = NULL;
-bool windows_tray_notification::message_reset = false;
-
-void windows_tray_notification::destroy_tray_icon()
-{
-	if (nid == NULL) {
-		return;
-	}
-
-	if (!message_reset){
-		Shell_NotifyIcon(NIM_DELETE, nid);
-		delete nid;
-		nid = NULL;
-	} else {
-		message_reset = false;
-	}
-}
-
-void windows_tray_notification::handle_system_event(const SDL_Event& event)
-{
-	if (event.syswm.msg->msg != WM_TRAYNOTIFY) {
-		return;
-	}
-
-	if (event.syswm.msg->lParam == NIN_BALLOONUSERCLICK) {
-		switch_to_wesnoth_window();
-		destroy_tray_icon();
-	} else if (event.syswm.msg->lParam == NIN_BALLOONTIMEOUT) {
-		destroy_tray_icon();
-	}
-}
-
-bool windows_tray_notification::create_tray_icon()
-{
-	// getting handle to a 32x32 icon, contained in "WESNOTH_ICON" icon group of wesnoth.exe resources
-	const HMODULE wesnoth_exe = GetModuleHandle(NULL);
-	if (wesnoth_exe == NULL) {
-		return false;
-	}
-
-	const HRSRC group_icon_info = FindResource(wesnoth_exe, L"WESNOTH_ICON", RT_GROUP_ICON);
-	if (group_icon_info == NULL) {
-		return false;
-	}
-
-	HGLOBAL hGlobal = LoadResource(wesnoth_exe, group_icon_info);
-	if (hGlobal == NULL) {
-		return false;
-	}
-
-	const PBYTE group_icon_res = static_cast<PBYTE>(LockResource(hGlobal));
-	if (group_icon_res == NULL) {
-		return false;
-	}
-
-	const int nID = LookupIconIdFromDirectoryEx(group_icon_res, TRUE, 32, 32, LR_DEFAULTCOLOR);
-	if (nID == 0) {
-		return false;
-	}
-
-	const HRSRC icon_info = FindResource(wesnoth_exe, MAKEINTRESOURCE(nID), MAKEINTRESOURCE(3));
-	if (icon_info == NULL) {
-		return false;
-	}
-
-	hGlobal = LoadResource(wesnoth_exe, icon_info);
-	if (hGlobal == NULL) {
-		return false;
-	}
-
-	const PBYTE icon_res = static_cast<PBYTE>(LockResource(hGlobal));
-	if (icon_res == NULL) {
-		return false;
-	}
-
-	const HICON icon = CreateIconFromResource(icon_res, SizeofResource(wesnoth_exe, icon_info), TRUE, 0x00030000);
-	if (icon == NULL) {
-		return false;
-	}
-
-	const HWND window = get_window_handle();
-	if (window == NULL) {
-		return false;
-	}
-
-	const std::wstring& wtip = string_to_wstring(_("The Battle for Wesnoth"));
-
-	// filling notification structure
-	nid = new NOTIFYICONDATA;
-	memset(nid, 0, sizeof(&nid));
-	nid->cbSize = NOTIFYICONDATA_V2_SIZE;
-	nid->hWnd = window;
-	nid->uFlags = NIF_ICON | NIF_TIP | NIF_MESSAGE;
-	nid->dwInfoFlags = NIIF_USER;
-	nid->uVersion = NOTIFYICON_VERSION;
-	nid->uCallbackMessage = WM_TRAYNOTIFY;
-	nid->uID = ICON_ID;
-	nid->hIcon = icon;
-#if _WIN32_WINNT >= 0x600
-	nid->hBalloonIcon = icon;
-#endif
-	lstrcpy(nid->szTip, wtip.c_str());
-
-	// creating icon notification
-	return Shell_NotifyIcon(NIM_ADD, nid) != FALSE;
-}
-
-bool windows_tray_notification::set_tray_message(const std::string& title, const std::string& message)
-{
-	// prevents deletion of icon when resetting already existing notification
-	message_reset = (nid->uFlags & NIF_INFO) != 0;
-
-	nid->uFlags |= NIF_INFO;
-	lstrcpy(nid->szInfoTitle, string_to_wstring(title).c_str());
-	lstrcpy(nid->szInfo, string_to_wstring(message).c_str());
-
-	// setting notification
-	return Shell_NotifyIcon(NIM_MODIFY, nid) != FALSE;
-}
-
-void windows_tray_notification::adjust_length(std::string& title, std::string& message)
-{
-	static const int ELIPSIS_LENGTH = 3;
-
-	// limitations set by winapi
-	if (title.length() > MAX_TITLE_LENGTH) {
-		utils::ellipsis_truncate(title, MAX_TITLE_LENGTH - ELIPSIS_LENGTH);
-	}
-	if (message.length() > MAX_MESSAGE_LENGTH) {
-		utils::ellipsis_truncate(message, MAX_MESSAGE_LENGTH - ELIPSIS_LENGTH);
-	}
-}
-
-HWND windows_tray_notification::get_window_handle()
-{
-	SDL_SysWMinfo wmInfo;
-	SDL_VERSION(&wmInfo.version);
-	if (SDL_GetWMInfo(&wmInfo) != 1) {
-		return NULL;
-	}
-
-	return wmInfo.window;
-}
-
-void windows_tray_notification::switch_to_wesnoth_window()
-{
-	const HWND window = get_window_handle();
-	if (window == NULL) {
-		return;
-	}
-
-	if (IsIconic(window)) {
-		ShowWindow(window, SW_RESTORE);
-	}
-	SetForegroundWindow(window);
-}
-
-std::wstring windows_tray_notification::string_to_wstring(const std::string& string)
-{
-	const std::vector<wchar_t> wide_string = utils::string_to_wstring(string);
-	return std::wstring(wide_string.begin(), wide_string.end());
-}
-
-bool windows_tray_notification::show(std::string title, std::string message)
-{
-	adjust_length(title, message);
-
-	const bool tray_icon_exist = nid != NULL;
-	if (!tray_icon_exist) {
-		const bool tray_icon_created = create_tray_icon();
-		if (!tray_icon_created) {
-			const bool memory_allocated = nid != NULL;
-			if (memory_allocated) {
-				destroy_tray_icon();
-			}
-			return false;
-		}
-	}
-
-	// at this point tray icon was just created or already existed before, so it's safe to call `set_tray_message`
-
-	const bool result = set_tray_message(title, message);
-	// the `destroy_tray_icon` will be called by event only if `set_tray_message` succeeded
-	// if it doesn't succeed, we have to call `destroy_tray_icon` manually
-	if (!result) {
-		destroy_tray_icon();
-	}
-	return result;
-}
+/*
+   Copyright (C) 2013 - 2014 by Maxim Biro <nurupo.contributions@gmail.com>
+   Part of the Battle for Wesnoth Project http://www.wesnoth.org/
+
+   This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+   it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+   the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
+   (at your option) any later version.
+   This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+   but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY.
+
+   See the COPYING file for more details.
+*/
+
+#include "windows_tray_notification.hpp"
+
+#include <SDL_syswm.h>
+
+#include "gettext.hpp"
+#include "serialization/string_utils.hpp"
+
+NOTIFYICONDATA* windows_tray_notification::nid = NULL;
+bool windows_tray_notification::message_reset = false;
+
+void windows_tray_notification::destroy_tray_icon()
+{
+	if (nid == NULL) {
+		return;
+	}
+
+	if (!message_reset){
+		Shell_NotifyIcon(NIM_DELETE, nid);
+		delete nid;
+		nid = NULL;
+	} else {
+		message_reset = false;
+	}
+}
+
+void windows_tray_notification::handle_system_event(const SDL_Event& event)
+{
+	if (event.syswm.msg->msg != WM_TRAYNOTIFY) {
+		return;
+	}
+
+	if (event.syswm.msg->lParam == NIN_BALLOONUSERCLICK) {
+		switch_to_wesnoth_window();
+		destroy_tray_icon();
+	} else if (event.syswm.msg->lParam == NIN_BALLOONTIMEOUT) {
+		destroy_tray_icon();
+	}
+}
+
+bool windows_tray_notification::create_tray_icon()
+{
+	// getting handle to a 32x32 icon, contained in "WESNOTH_ICON" icon group of wesnoth.exe resources
+	const HMODULE wesnoth_exe = GetModuleHandle(NULL);
+	if (wesnoth_exe == NULL) {
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	const HRSRC group_icon_info = FindResource(wesnoth_exe, L"WESNOTH_ICON", RT_GROUP_ICON);
+	if (group_icon_info == NULL) {
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	HGLOBAL hGlobal = LoadResource(wesnoth_exe, group_icon_info);
+	if (hGlobal == NULL) {
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	const PBYTE group_icon_res = static_cast<PBYTE>(LockResource(hGlobal));
+	if (group_icon_res == NULL) {
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	const int nID = LookupIconIdFromDirectoryEx(group_icon_res, TRUE, 32, 32, LR_DEFAULTCOLOR);
+	if (nID == 0) {
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	const HRSRC icon_info = FindResource(wesnoth_exe, MAKEINTRESOURCE(nID), MAKEINTRESOURCE(3));
+	if (icon_info == NULL) {
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	hGlobal = LoadResource(wesnoth_exe, icon_info);
+	if (hGlobal == NULL) {
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	const PBYTE icon_res = static_cast<PBYTE>(LockResource(hGlobal));
+	if (icon_res == NULL) {
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	const HICON icon = CreateIconFromResource(icon_res, SizeofResource(wesnoth_exe, icon_info), TRUE, 0x00030000);
+	if (icon == NULL) {
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	const HWND window = get_window_handle();
+	if (window == NULL) {
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	const std::wstring& wtip = string_to_wstring(_("The Battle for Wesnoth"));
+
+	// filling notification structure
+	nid = new NOTIFYICONDATA;
+	memset(nid, 0, sizeof(&nid));
+	nid->cbSize = NOTIFYICONDATA_V2_SIZE;
+	nid->hWnd = window;
+	nid->uFlags = NIF_ICON | NIF_TIP | NIF_MESSAGE;
+	nid->dwInfoFlags = NIIF_USER;
+	nid->uVersion = NOTIFYICON_VERSION;
+	nid->uCallbackMessage = WM_TRAYNOTIFY;
+	nid->uID = ICON_ID;
+	nid->hIcon = icon;
+#if _WIN32_WINNT >= 0x600
+	nid->hBalloonIcon = icon;
+#endif
+	lstrcpy(nid->szTip, wtip.c_str());
+
+	// creating icon notification
+	return Shell_NotifyIcon(NIM_ADD, nid) != FALSE;
+}
+
+bool windows_tray_notification::set_tray_message(const std::string& title, const std::string& message)
+{
+	// prevents deletion of icon when resetting already existing notification
+	message_reset = (nid->uFlags & NIF_INFO) != 0;
+
+	nid->uFlags |= NIF_INFO;
+	lstrcpy(nid->szInfoTitle, string_to_wstring(title).c_str());
+	lstrcpy(nid->szInfo, string_to_wstring(message).c_str());
+
+	// setting notification
+	return Shell_NotifyIcon(NIM_MODIFY, nid) != FALSE;
+}
+
+void windows_tray_notification::adjust_length(std::string& title, std::string& message)
+{
+	static const int ELIPSIS_LENGTH = 3;
+
+	// limitations set by winapi
+	if (title.length() > MAX_TITLE_LENGTH) {
+		utils::ellipsis_truncate(title, MAX_TITLE_LENGTH - ELIPSIS_LENGTH);
+	}
+	if (message.length() > MAX_MESSAGE_LENGTH) {
+		utils::ellipsis_truncate(message, MAX_MESSAGE_LENGTH - ELIPSIS_LENGTH);
+	}
+}
+
+HWND windows_tray_notification::get_window_handle()
+{
+	SDL_SysWMinfo wmInfo;
+	SDL_VERSION(&wmInfo.version);
+	if (SDL_GetWMInfo(&wmInfo) != 1) {
+		return NULL;
+	}
+
+	return wmInfo.window;
+}
+
+void windows_tray_notification::switch_to_wesnoth_window()
+{
+	const HWND window = get_window_handle();
+	if (window == NULL) {
+		return;
+	}
+
+	if (IsIconic(window)) {
+		ShowWindow(window, SW_RESTORE);
+	}
+	SetForegroundWindow(window);
+}
+
+std::wstring windows_tray_notification::string_to_wstring(const std::string& string)
+{
+	const utils::ucs4_string u4_string = utils::string_to_ucs4string(string);
+	const utils::utf16_string u16_string = utils::ucs4string_to_utf16string(u4_string);
+	return std::wstring(utf16_string.begin(), utf16_string.end());
+}
+
+bool windows_tray_notification::show(std::string title, std::string message)
+{
+	adjust_length(title, message);
+
+	const bool tray_icon_exist = nid != NULL;
+	if (!tray_icon_exist) {
+		const bool tray_icon_created = create_tray_icon();
+		if (!tray_icon_created) {
+			const bool memory_allocated = nid != NULL;
+			if (memory_allocated) {
+				destroy_tray_icon();
+			}
+			return false;
+		}
+	}
+
+	// at this point tray icon was just created or already existed before, so it's safe to call `set_tray_message`
+
+	const bool result = set_tray_message(title, message);
+	// the `destroy_tray_icon` will be called by event only if `set_tray_message` succeeded
+	// if it doesn't succeed, we have to call `destroy_tray_icon` manually
+	if (!result) {
+		destroy_tray_icon();
+	}
+	return result;
+}
diff --git a/src/windows_tray_notification.hpp b/src/windows_tray_notification.hpp
index 2279e6ddf74..f5ac5b051ca 100644
--- a/src/windows_tray_notification.hpp
+++ b/src/windows_tray_notification.hpp
@@ -1,83 +1,83 @@
-/*
-   Copyright (C) 2013 - 2014 by Maxim Biro <nurupo.contributions@gmail.com>
-   Part of the Battle for Wesnoth Project http://www.wesnoth.org/
-
-   This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
-   it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
-   the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
-   (at your option) any later version.
-   This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
-   but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY.
-
-   See the COPYING file for more details.
-*/
-
-#ifndef WINDOWS_TRAY_NOTIFICATION_HPP_INCLUDED
-#define WINDOWS_TRAY_NOTIFICATION_HPP_INCLUDED
-
-#include <SDL.h>
-#include <string>
-//forces to call Unicode winapi functions instead of ASCII (default)
-#define UNICODE
-//defines that mingw misses
-#ifndef _WIN32_IE
-    #define _WIN32_IE 0x0600 //specifying target platform to be Windows XP and higher
-#endif
-#ifndef NIIF_USER
-    #define NIIF_USER 0x00000004
-#endif
-#ifndef NIN_BALLOONTIMEOUT
-    #define NIN_BALLOONTIMEOUT (WM_USER + 4)
-#endif
-#ifndef NIN_BALLOONUSERCLICK
-    #define NIN_BALLOONUSERCLICK (WM_USER + 5)
-#endif
-// ShellAPI.h should be included after Windows.h only!
-#include <windows.h>
-#include <shellapi.h>
-
-class windows_tray_notification {
-public:
-	/**
-	* Displays a tray notification.
-	* When user clicks on the notification popup, the user switches to the wesnoth window.
-	*
-	* @param title Title of a notification. Gets truncated if longer than 64 characters, including
-	*           the terminating null character.
-	* @param message Message of a notification. Gets truncated if longer than 256 characters, including
-	*           the terminating null character.
-	*
-	* @return True if message was shown successfully, False otherwise.
-	*/
-	static bool show(std::string title, std::string message);
-
-	/**
-	* Frees resources when a notification disappears, switches user to the wesnoth
-	* window if the notification popup was clicked by user.
-	*
-	* @param event System event.
-	*/
-	static void handle_system_event(const SDL_Event& event);
-
-private:
-	static NOTIFYICONDATA* nid;
-	static bool message_reset;
-	static const int ICON_ID = 1007; // just a random number
-	static const unsigned int WM_TRAYNOTIFY = 32868; // WM_APP+100
-	static const size_t MAX_TITLE_LENGTH = 63; // 64 including the terminating null character
-	static const size_t MAX_MESSAGE_LENGTH = 255; // 256 including the terminating null character
-
-	static bool create_tray_icon();
-	static void destroy_tray_icon();
-	static bool set_tray_message(const std::string& title, const std::string& message);
-	static void adjust_length(std::string& title, std::string& message);
-	static HWND get_window_handle();
-	static void switch_to_wesnoth_window();
-	static std::wstring string_to_wstring(const std::string& string);
-
-	explicit windows_tray_notification();
-	windows_tray_notification(const windows_tray_notification& w);
-	windows_tray_notification& operator=(const windows_tray_notification& w);
-};
-
-#endif // WINDOWS_TRAY_NOTIFICATION_HPP_INCLUDED
+/*
+   Copyright (C) 2013 - 2014 by Maxim Biro <nurupo.contributions@gmail.com>
+   Part of the Battle for Wesnoth Project http://www.wesnoth.org/
+
+   This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+   it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+   the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
+   (at your option) any later version.
+   This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+   but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY.
+
+   See the COPYING file for more details.
+*/
+
+#ifndef WINDOWS_TRAY_NOTIFICATION_HPP_INCLUDED
+#define WINDOWS_TRAY_NOTIFICATION_HPP_INCLUDED
+
+#include <SDL.h>
+#include <string>
+//forces to call Unicode winapi functions instead of ASCII (default)
+#define UNICODE
+//defines that mingw misses
+#ifndef _WIN32_IE
+    #define _WIN32_IE 0x0600 //specifying target platform to be Windows XP and higher
+#endif
+#ifndef NIIF_USER
+    #define NIIF_USER 0x00000004
+#endif
+#ifndef NIN_BALLOONTIMEOUT
+    #define NIN_BALLOONTIMEOUT (WM_USER + 4)
+#endif
+#ifndef NIN_BALLOONUSERCLICK
+    #define NIN_BALLOONUSERCLICK (WM_USER + 5)
+#endif
+// ShellAPI.h should be included after Windows.h only!
+#include <windows.h>
+#include <shellapi.h>
+
+class windows_tray_notification {
+public:
+	/**
+	* Displays a tray notification.
+	* When user clicks on the notification popup, the user switches to the wesnoth window.
+	*
+	* @param title Title of a notification. Gets truncated if longer than 64 characters, including
+	*           the terminating null character.
+	* @param message Message of a notification. Gets truncated if longer than 256 characters, including
+	*           the terminating null character.
+	*
+	* @return True if message was shown successfully, False otherwise.
+	*/
+	static bool show(std::string title, std::string message);
+
+	/**
+	* Frees resources when a notification disappears, switches user to the wesnoth
+	* window if the notification popup was clicked by user.
+	*
+	* @param event System event.
+	*/
+	static void handle_system_event(const SDL_Event& event);
+
+private:
+	static NOTIFYICONDATA* nid;
+	static bool message_reset;
+	static const int ICON_ID = 1007; // just a random number
+	static const unsigned int WM_TRAYNOTIFY = 32868; // WM_APP+100
+	static const size_t MAX_TITLE_LENGTH = 63; // 64 including the terminating null character
+	static const size_t MAX_MESSAGE_LENGTH = 255; // 256 including the terminating null character
+
+	static bool create_tray_icon();
+	static void destroy_tray_icon();
+	static bool set_tray_message(const std::string& title, const std::string& message);
+	static void adjust_length(std::string& title, std::string& message);
+	static HWND get_window_handle();
+	static void switch_to_wesnoth_window();
+	static std::wstring string_to_wstring(const std::string& string);
+
+	explicit windows_tray_notification();
+	windows_tray_notification(const windows_tray_notification& w);
+	windows_tray_notification& operator=(const windows_tray_notification& w);
+};
+
+#endif // WINDOWS_TRAY_NOTIFICATION_HPP_INCLUDED