Hello everyone! It has been a year since I have posted one of these articles, but the Build the Earth project is still going strong, and in fact has grown. I checked if they have started a server to build Pennsylvania, and they have, so I applied to join the team.

I must say that it has been really great getting to know people on the OH PAIN KY server (Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Kentucky server). Much of the frustrations I had that had caused me to quit last year on my own, they helped me work through. To any of the members of the server reading this, thank you for your help, and I would really love it if you guys come post about your work here! Steem is a great platform which will allow you to be rewarded for the work you are already doing!

Speaking of the work going into this project, for those of you who are unaware, the Build the Earth project is a project trying to replicate the world on a 1 meter to 1 block ratio into Minecraft. The Earth's terrain has been copied into Minecraft, and the 4,000+ volunteers currently working on the project for over a year are working to replicate everything on Earth into Minecraft.

In terms of this project, I spent about 10 hours making the building this weekend, and 5 or 6 hours editing the video over the last two days. I hope you all enjoy it! To follow, I will explain how the server helped me, what's changed in Build the Earth, and what I plan to do.

Building my High School in Minecraft

First of all, here is the video:

Building Roofs

The problem that made me quit last year was building roofs. I had no idea how to make it line up, and I was spending hours working on the roof to delete it and start over. When working on Rustin (which has a very complicated roof), I asked for guidance from the server, and they suggested making sure the highest part and the lowest part line up, and filling in the gaps. This was so tremendously helpful. I also learned about a line tool that they have added to the mod pack. In all, the roof took a while to build, and I definitely had to start over a few times, but it was so much easier!

What's changed?

In the year that I've been gone, they have added a lot. The website now has a map that describes who is working on what, and another map which gives details about which teams are working where. They have also made the mod pack much easier to install, and a lot of the features easier to use. One really cool thing was that the modpack came with the option to add the replay mod. I remember spending hours last year trying to figure out how to add the replay mod (the mod that lets you make videos like the one in this post). Overall, the project has become very professional, and I was astonished by how user friendly it was.

What do I plan to do?

In terms of building my high school, I still have to add the Gym, Cafeteria, and Auditorium, and build the landscape (the football stadium, fields, paths, tennis courts, trees, and parking lot). I plan to make two more videos (and articles) one building the rest of the building, and one making the landscape. I'm not sure how long it will take. After that, I might build some of the other stuff in the area, and possibly look into helping out in building Philadelphia (if they need it).

Side by Side Comparisons

Here are some side by side comparisons:

The Music

This video includes two pieces of music. The second is the original orchestral composition I wrote for the graduation ceremony (which was never played due to covid). The first piece is the first movement to Mozart's 40th symphony (which I drew inspiration from when writing the graduation piece).

Conclusion

Thanks for reading this! Please remember that feedback is always greatly appreciated! I invite anyone reading this here on Steem who plays Minecraft to look into joining the project! Have a nice day!