This is something I've wondered about since like 2011. I actually don't know if they've changed it since then. The image files like textures and such are packed in the jar file, but the ogg files download from AWS after you start the game. Does anyone know why this is?
The most obvious reason would be the size of the sound assets; even the assets used by 1.6.4 (.minecraft\assets\virtual\legacy) take up 146 MB, compared to only 4.52 MB for the 1.6.4 jar itself, and since sounds change far less frequently than textures it makes sense to keep them separate; for the same reason the libraries needed to run the game are stored in a separate location (,minecraft\libraries) instead of embedded inside the jar (the whole folder is 48.9 MB, so combined with sounds you are now at over 200 MB of data to download every time the game updates, and this will be even worse for newer versions).
That said, the game can load sounds stored inside the jar; my own mod adds new sounds which are directly added to the jar, as with its other files, and I imagine that textures could likewise be stored in the assets folder (I don't know the exact details but it seems like the assets manager treats ".minecraft\assets\" as the same location as the assets folder inside the jar; likewise, when an incomplete resource pack is used it will automatically fall back to the default location(s) for any missing assets).
This is something I've wondered about since like 2011. I actually don't know if they've changed it since then. The image files like textures and such are packed in the jar file, but the ogg files download from AWS after you start the game. Does anyone know why this is?
The most obvious reason would be the size of the sound assets; even the assets used by 1.6.4 (.minecraft\assets\virtual\legacy) take up 146 MB, compared to only 4.52 MB for the 1.6.4 jar itself, and since sounds change far less frequently than textures it makes sense to keep them separate; for the same reason the libraries needed to run the game are stored in a separate location (,minecraft\libraries) instead of embedded inside the jar (the whole folder is 48.9 MB, so combined with sounds you are now at over 200 MB of data to download every time the game updates, and this will be even worse for newer versions).
That said, the game can load sounds stored inside the jar; my own mod adds new sounds which are directly added to the jar, as with its other files, and I imagine that textures could likewise be stored in the assets folder (I don't know the exact details but it seems like the assets manager treats ".minecraft\assets\" as the same location as the assets folder inside the jar; likewise, when an incomplete resource pack is used it will automatically fall back to the default location(s) for any missing assets).
TheMasterCaver's First World - possibly the most caved-out world in Minecraft history - includes world download.
TheMasterCaver's World - my own version of Minecraft largely based on my views of how the game should have evolved since 1.6.4.
Why do I still play in 1.6.4?
Oh that makes sense. Thanks!