Building Better Systems with ColorMaestro

Today, my main focus on Project Zearth is improving how we manage tasks across the map—essentially optimizing how we store, access, and update information about what was, is, and will be done.

In the early days, our task management was extremely basic. All information lived directly in the world itself, stored on signs and command blocks. While this approach was simple and worked at the time, it was also very fragile—one wrong click and coordinates or task descriptions were gone (yes, that happened more than once). There was no proper history, no archive, and no structured overview unless we manually preserved everything somewhere on the map, which we understandably didn’t.

That left a lot of room for improvement.

To solve this, I created a dedicated plugin called TaskManager. It introduced features and stability we simply didn’t have before, and it fundamentally changed how we coordinate work on the project. As a software engineer, contributing in this way felt natural—and incredibly rewarding. You’d be surprised how much you learn by building your own software. Looking back over TaskManager’s multi-year history, I can clearly see how my thinking and approach have evolved. Even today, I still discover areas that could be improved, refined, or redesigned. That ongoing evolution is part of what makes it exciting. When the first working version was released, the team’s reaction made all the effort worth it.

Beyond development, I’m also involved in overseeing the application process. This includes reviewing submissions from people interested in contributing to Project Zearth. Every applicant is different, and while we’re always excited to see new interest, our standards are high. Decisions aren’t made alone—we have a small committee where we discuss applications, share perspectives, and vote on outcomes. It’s a surprisingly dynamic role; you truly never know what will appear in the inbox next.

What I Enjoy the Most

Software development is where I naturally push the hardest—but the real magic happens when everyone on the team is working in their strongest area. When that happens, it’s no longer just a group of individuals; it becomes an A-Team capable of doing amazing things. That’s exactly what we’re striving for with Project Zearth.