History Recap / QuakeBeyondBelief

-> ''"Beyond Belief is one of the earliest examples of the professional caliber levels that would come out of the mid 90s Quake scene. Created by Matthias Worch, Beyond Belief is an eight level set that would've easily fit in as an official fifth episode, even at the time of its original release. Editing Quake in the early days was a challenge, with most people not having access to the hardware used to run the original tools. Third party editors were in constant flux and were primitive. Basic features such as 3d previews and adjusting textures were not available. All of this had to be done by hand editing the original maps, and sitting through a very long compile process to check your results. Created over the course of seven months, it truly is a testament to the time and frustration perfecting an episode would\u2019ve taken back then. This didn't stop Beyond Belief from releasing within Quake\u2019s first year of release, however, and its legacy lasts to this day; the episode is often brought up as one of the essential add-ons within the community. This release of Beyond Belief also includes Beyond Belief 2008, a sequel map created by Matthias Worch and Negke."''

On September 29, 2022, [[https://bethesda.net/en/article/WY0tXFQYY07QcwxDAEc8i/new-add-on-available-beyond-belief-for-quake the mod was added as a downloadable addon]] for the 2021 Quake Remaster, [[https://prod-citadel-cdn.bethesda.net/en/article/457rEeGyNJMVngOoseW1n/nods-to-mods-interview-beyond-belief-for-quake with an interview to its creators following suit]].

''Beyond Belief'' is a 10-level ''VideoGame/QuakeI'' episode mod originally released in 1997 by Matthias Worch (of Creator/LegendEntertainment fame). On September 29, 2022, [[https://bethesda.net/en/article/WY0tXFQYY07QcwxDAEc8i/new-add-on-available-beyond-belief-for-quake it was added as a downloadable addon]] for the 2021 remastered version of the game, [[https://prod-citadel-cdn.bethesda.net/en/article/457rEeGyNJMVngOoseW1n/nods-to-mods-interview-beyond-belief-for-quake with an interview to its creators following suit]].

Holding the distinction of being one of the first full-length community-made episodes, ''Beyond Belief'' was built upon the original Quake episodes' design principles, with its ramping up of the weapon/enemy progression earning the mod its reputation for being "tough, but fair".

The addon comprises the levels "Beyond Belief", "Mission Control", "The Cleanse", "Another Fine Mess...", "Hell's Sewers", "The Lava Grounds", "Seal of Secrecy", "The Unholy Alliance", "Imaginations From The Past" and "The Deepest Mark".

* AdaptationExpansion: The 2021 remaster add-on version has been expanded to include ''Beyond Belief 2008'', originally released in 2013 by Worch and "Negke", which features the standalone map "Imaginations From The Past" created in the spirit of the original ''Beyond Belief'' episode.
* BrutalBonusLevel: "Imaginations from the Past" features 117 monsters on ''Normal'' difficulty.

* HarderThanHard: The Nightmare difficulty portal is located in a room tucked away in a corner above the central chamber, accessible from a second-storey walkway hidden behind a shootable wall beside the Hard difficulty portal's lava pit. Unlike the other floor-placed portals, the Nightmare portal is affixed to the ceiling beyond the player's jump height, though the game quickly addresses this:

* SecretLevel: "The Deepest Mark". The level is entered from "The Lava Grounds", the secret exit located within a cave hidden beneath the big lava lake, accessible only by using the Pentagram of Protection.
* SkippableBoss: Chthon not necessarily has to be killed in the final confrontation. Once the Rune is taken, the passage to the exit opens.

** "Imaginations from the Past" has several Zombies trapped in cages. Secret buttons located across the level (usually in close proximity) allow you to get rid of them without wasting ammo.

!! The mod and its 2021 Remastered edition addon version show examples of the following tropes:

* SecretLevel: "The Deepest Mark". The level entrance is hidden in a cave, the mouth of which is located within the big lava lake of "The Lava Grounds", accessible only by using the Pentagram of Protection.

!! The addon and its 2021 Remastered edition version show examples of the following tropes:

* DevelopersForesight: After doing the RocketJump to the Nightmare portal, you're greeted with a megahealth pack above a platform on top of the episode selection area.

* SecretLevel: "The Deepest Mark". It can be accessed by unlocking access to the Pentagram of Protection in "The Lava Grounds" and swimming in the big lava lake until you find a cave with a secret entrance.

''Beyond Belief'' is a 10-level ''VideoGame/QuakeI'' episode mod originally released in 1997 by Matthias Worch (of Creator/LegendEntertainment fame), later included as a downloadable addon to the game's 2021 remastered edition.

!! This addon shows examples of:

* HarderThanHard: The Nightmare difficulty portal is located [[spoiler: in a room tucked away in a corner above the central chamber, accessible from a second-storey walkway hidden behind a shootable wall beside the Hard difficulty portal's lava pit]]. Unlike the other floor-placed portals, the Nightmare portal is affixed to the ceiling beyond the player's jump height, though the game quickly addresses this:

Then you know what to do here...

* HarderThanHard: The Nightmare difficulty portal is located [[spoiler: in a room tucked away in a corner above the central chamber, accessible from a second-storey walkway hidden behind a shootable wall beside the Hard difficulty portal's lava pit]]. Unlike the other floor-placed portals, the Nightmare portal is affixed to the ceiling beyond the player's jump height, though the game quickly addressed this:

''Beyond Belief'' is a 10-level single-player/cooperative addon for ''VideoGame/QuakeI'', initially released in 1997 by Matthias Worch (of Creator/LegendEntertainment fame).

It holds the distinction of being one of the first full-length community-made episodes, built on top of the original Quake episodes' design principles, with its ramping up of the weapon/enemy progression earning the mod its reputation for being "tough, but fair".

* HarderThanHard: In order to access the Nightmare difficulty level, you have to go through the Hard portal and shoot a wall in the lava pit. Follow the path until you reach the portal.

''Beyond Belief'' is a 10-level single player/cooperative addon for ''VideoGame/QuakeI'', initially released in 1997 by Matthias Worch (of Creator/LegendEntertainment fame).

!! This addon shows eamples of:

* EasterEgg: There's an area in "Seal of Secrecy" unlocked by discovering all four secrets that contains the phrase "Would you die for this?". A similar EasterEgg is found in the ''VideoGame/UnrealI {{Mission Pack|Sequel}}: Return to Na Pali'' level "Glathriel Village Part II", also created by the same author, linking to the website of the pro clan Ocrana, whom Matthias Worch used to integrate during his Quake days.

* SecretLevel: "The Deepest Mark". You access to it by unlocking the access to the Pentagram of Protection in "The Lava Grounds" and swimming in the big lava lake until you find a cave with the secret entrance.

** "Imaginations from the Past" has several Zombies trapped into cages. Secret buttons located across the level (usually on nearest proximity) allows you to get rid of them without wasting ammo.

* SmashingHallwayTrapsOfDoom: When disabling the spike traps in "Seal of Secrecy", the player finds a two-tiered room, one of which contains the button that triggers the trap down. However, pushing it will cause some spikes to fall from the ceiling, killing the player unless they figure out how to escape.

* FinalBoss: Chthon... Again.

* SkippableBoss: Chthon not necessarily has to be killed in the final confrontation. Once the Shamblers are destroyed, the passage to the exit opens.

* EasterEgg: There's an inaccessible area in "Seal of Secrecy" that contains the phrase "Would you die for this?". A similar EasterEgg is found in the ''VideoGame/UnrealI {{Mission Pack|Sequel}}: Return to Na Pali'' level "Glathriel Village Part II", also created by the same author, linking to the website of the pro clan Ocrana, whom Matthias Worch used to integrate during his Quake days.

* AdaptationExpansion: The 2021 remaster add-on version has been expanded to include ''Beyond Belief 2008'', originally released in 2013 by Worch and "Negke", which features the standalone map ''Imaginations From The Past'' created in the spirit of the original ''Beyond Belief'' episode.

* SecretLevel: "The Deepest Mark".