diff --git a/src/gui/game/GameController.cpp b/src/gui/game/GameController.cpp
index 8b58b48ce..c514d3ea7 100644
--- a/src/gui/game/GameController.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/game/GameController.cpp
@@ -571,19 +571,30 @@ bool GameController::MouseUp(int x, int y, unsigned button)
 				(*iter).pos((*iter).getText(sim), signx, signy, signw, signh);
 				if (x>=signx && x<=signx+signw && y>=signy && y<=signy+signh)
 				{
-					if (sregexp((*iter).text.c_str(), "^{[ct]:[0-9]*|.*}$")==0)
+					int match=0;
+					const char* str=(*iter).text.c_str();
+					const char* e;
+					if (str[0]=='{' && (str[1]=='c' || str[1]=='t') && str[2]==':' && str[3]>='0' && str[3]<='9')
+					{
+						const char* p=str+4;
+						while (*p>='0' && *p<='9')
+							p++;
+						e=p;
+						if (*p=='|')
+						{
+							while (*p)
+								p++;
+							if (p[-1]=='}')
+							{
+								match=1;
+							}
+						}
+					}
+					if (match)
 					{
-						const char * signText = (*iter).text.c_str();
 						char buff[256];
-						int sldr;
-
-						memset(buff, 0, sizeof(buff));
-
-						for (sldr=3; signText[sldr] != '|'; sldr++)
-							buff[sldr-3] = signText[sldr];
-
-						buff[sldr-3] = '\0';
-
+						strcpy(buff, str+3);
+						buff[e-str-3]=0;
 						int tempSaveID = format::StringToNumber<int>(std::string(buff));
 						if (tempSaveID)
 						{
diff --git a/src/gui/game/SignTool.cpp b/src/gui/game/SignTool.cpp
index 87ed59e96..a71f8e2bf 100644
--- a/src/gui/game/SignTool.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/game/SignTool.cpp
@@ -177,16 +177,30 @@ void SignWindow::DoDraw()
 	for(std::vector<sign>::iterator iter = sim->signs.begin(), end = sim->signs.end(); iter != end; ++iter)
 	{
 		sign & currentSign = *iter;
-		int x, y, w, h, dx, dy;
+		int x, y, w, h, dx, dy, match=0;
 		Graphics * g = ui::Engine::Ref().g;
 		std::string text = currentSign.getText(sim);
+		const char* str = currentSign.text.c_str();
 		currentSign.pos(text, x, y, w, h);
 		g->clearrect(x, y, w+1, h);
 		g->drawrect(x, y, w+1, h, 192, 192, 192, 255);
-		if (sregexp(currentSign.text.c_str(), "^{[ct]:[0-9]*|.*}$"))
-			g->drawtext(x+3, y+3, text, 255, 255, 255, 255);
-		else
+		if (str[0]=='{' && (str[1]=='c' || str[1]=='t') && str[2]==':' && str[3]>='0' && str[3]<='9')
+		{
+			const char* p=str+4;
+			while (*p>='0' && *p<='9')
+				p++;
+			if (*p=='|')
+			{
+				while (*p)
+					p++;
+				if (p[-1]=='}')
+					match=1;
+			}
+		}
+		if (match)
 			g->drawtext(x+3, y+3, text, 0, 191, 255, 255);
+		else
+			g->drawtext(x+3, y+3, text, 255, 255, 255, 255);
 
 		x = currentSign.x;
 		y = currentSign.y;