[MC-255477] Skins don't work in legacy Minecraft versions

Summary of Issue

In legacy versions of Minecraft (classic up to at least beta 1.7.3) skins currently don't show. This also includes Capes, which should appear in Beta versions.

This is because skins used to be hosted at http://s3.amazonaws.com/MinecraftSkins/

I see this as a launcher issue, as it can only be fixed with changes to the launchwrapper library, aka LegacyLauncher.

Steps to Reproduce

Open any modern launcher version.
Ensure you are using a custom skin.
Launch any Java Minecraft version before Release 1.7.8
View your player via the inventory or third-person camera. Your skin will be missing. Alternatively join a server and view another player, they will also be missing skins.

Additional Resources

Screenshots can be found in the comments.
I have opened a Pull Request for Mojang's launchwrapper which fixes this issue. Please consider merging this fix.

Proposed Fix

https://github.com/Mojang/LegacyLauncher/pull/33

Linked issues

is duplicated by 4

MCL-23275 Sound and skins do not work on old versions up to 1.6.4 Resolved

MCL-23276 Sound and skins do not work on old versions up to 1.6.4 Resolved

MCL-23277 Sound and skins do not work on versions up to 1.6.4 Resolved

MCL-24036 default skin under 1.7 Resolved

Attachments

Comments 17

Codie Stella 2021-11-02T12:05:18Z

I have opened a pull-request to fix this issue on GitHub. I have included a description of the fix and how to deploy it.

https://github.com/Mojang/LegacyLauncher/pull/33

Grzesiek11 2021-11-02T12:24:59Z

+1, there is no reason to not include this.

MisterSheeple 2021-11-02T14:09:44Z

This is a very simple fix. The fact that there's already a pull request proves that this could be implemented at any time.

Codie Stella 2021-11-03T13:42:40Z

@Umija5895 Please do not remove affected versions. I have reproduced this bug on the latest launcher across Windows 10 and Mac OS including the new Windows 10 UWP launcher. I have not tried the legacy launcher, though it's probably broken too.

Codie Stella 2021-11-03T19:08:51Z

Reproduced on Mac OS Big Sur 11.6
Launcher version

10.16.0 2.2.7268

Tuesday, November 2, 2021, 6:51:10 PM

2d6a19b87068a5bdd5421a35af9fc8099844a748

[media][media]

7 more comments

Codie Stella 2021-11-03T19:16:02Z

Reproduced on Windows 11
Launcher version

Windows 10.0 2.2.7264

Tuesday, November 2, 2021, 6:47:49 PM

2d6a19b87068a5bdd5421a35af9fc8099844a748

[media][media]

lolbit 723 2021-11-05T15:29:05Z

This also happens on older release versions. Anything below 1.7.10 will not have skins

Akhtar Rizky Amirza 2021-11-06T14:12:48Z

hmmm i never knew that

Grzesiek11 2021-11-24T01:14:25Z

Can reproduce on Debian Sid GNU/Linux

[media]

Linux 5.15.0-3.2-liquorix-amd64 2.2.7955
sobota, 20 listopada 2021, 01:09:16
51ab98adff28cddc704c70ea39db7b5d484d2fb6

LaG 2021-11-24T11:45:59Z

in 1.7.8 was added what we now know as UUID and the skins are applied through this system, versions prior to this can not be applied or see the skins because previously they were applied by username, and I don't think it's a bug.

Codie Stella 2021-11-24T16:38:56Z

@LaG

While it is true that 1.7.8 added UUIDs, this does not mean that skins have to be broken in legacy versions.

First off, usernames are unique, so a skin can be fetched by it's username.

Secondly, this isn't why skins are broken. Skins used to be hosted at https://s3.amazonaws.com/MinecraftSkins/. Mojang moved them to a new web address and stopped supporting the old one. It's still technically possible for Mojang to put skins at the old web address if they wish, though it would be technically difficult and costly (which is why I have attached a simple and free fix).

Finally. This is a bug is of the same nature of WEB-1429, which has been accepted and is scheduled for fix.

If this doesn't convince you, here's a link to the fix for this bug which has already been developed, and just needs to be accepted & released. This fix uses authlib, which is the same library, developed by Mojang, that release versions of Minecraft use to load skins. It loads them by UUID.

Codie Stella 2021-11-24T17:22:52Z

Reproduced again using Mac launcher 2.2.7956 with Minecraft 1.7.7

Codie Stella 2021-12-21T01:52:19Z

[media][media][media]

reproduced on latest

Toru the Red Fox 2022-04-02T18:06:03Z

Another issue is the fact that Alpha doesn't get patched correctly due to incorrect flags in the JSON files which leads to your name always being Playern (where n is a random number, or a hardcoded number depending on the version) (see MCL-18826)

Codie Stella 2023-04-28T10:05:32Z

I don't know who moved this from the MCL project to MC but per the report

I see this as a launcher issue, as it can only be fixed with changes to the launchwrapper library, aka LegacyLauncher.

Please consider moving this issue back.

user-f2760 2023-04-28T10:20:28Z

Mojang did.

Codie Stella 2023-08-15T03:34:53Z

Could a mod please move this back to the launcher project please? Thank you