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"Terra is a set of eight levels created by Christian Grawert, senior level designer at MachineGames, known in the Quake community as czg. Despite being seven years older than his other featured add-on, Honey, Terra delivers on the same smart level design as his other releases. Inspired by the combat in DOOM, Terra has fights taking place in tight spaces designed around enemy layouts in more abstract spaces designed around gameplay versus creating more realistic spaces. Rooms wind back in on themselves in interesting ways, opening up progression and creating combat opportunities at different angles. New to this release are two extra levels, including a finale, along with many changes and tweaks along the way for anyone who played the original release."
— Addons mod description in the 2021 remastered edition of Quake
Terra is a seven-level Quake episode mod released on January 16, 2005, by Christian "czg" Grawert (of MachineGames and Honey fame).
The episode features small, gameplay-centric maps intended to emulate the design principles of the original Quake and Doom, with the "Elder World" map theme being particularly prominent.
On March 29, 2022, the mod was added as a downloadable addon
for the 2021 Quake Remaster, with an interview of its creator following suit.
The addon is comprised of the levels "Lipgloss Intro", "Schumann Resonance", "Dead On Arrival", "Witchouse Mixtape", "Shotgun Experiment 1", "Latent Quarter", "Torture Department", "Shotgun Experiment 2" and "Sentinel Rave".
The addon and its 2021 Remastered edition version show examples of the following tropes:
- Acid-Trip Dimension: The area you have to travel in order to locate the Nightmare portal is trippy as hell.
- Adaptation Expansion: The curated addon version of Terra includes several expansions to the original six-level episode mod, including a new Hub Level, reworks to the existing levels and level order, and two additional maps: "Witchouse Mixtape"note and "Sentinel Rave"note .
- Advancing Wall of Doom: After passing the runepillar-blocked door in "Torture Department", the game tells you "The demon is your friend". You must place yourself between the two demon walls before the walls crush you. Said demon wall later reveals a passage in order to continue.
- Broken Bridge:
- Access to the end of the level in "Witchouse Mixtape" is locked by a deadly laser barrier.
- Access to the exit in "Latent Quarter" is a Double Subversion: there is a straight way to exit the level, but just entering the area triggers an earthquake that lowers several portions of the level.
- Disc-One Nuke:
- The Grenade Launcher is found as a secret in "Dead on Arrival", the second level.
- If that one is missed, near the Gold Key-triggered mechanism in "Witchouse Mixtape" and jumping onto a nearby pipe near the top has another secret with another Grenade Launcher.
- Domino Revelation:
- Shooting the red switch near the end of "Dead on Arrival" triggers a platform that allows you to collect the Red Armor, however the area contains another secret that reveals a nearby door (hinted by the first secret) with another switch. It teleports the player to a balcony with a few goodies such as ammo and a Megahealth, and a Vore awaiting at the end of a corridor, right when the only weapons the player has are the Nailgun and both Shotguns. At the very end of this corridor is a secret Grenade Launcher.
- The first secret in "Shotgun Experiment 1" requires you to hit a shootable button in the outdoors, opening the way to a Yellow Armor. Swimming below the armor platform has you reaching a secret Quad Damage. This Quad comes in handy when in your next visit to the area you find hordes of Ogres, Scrags, Fiends and especially Zombies.
- 11th-Hour Superpower: The only place you'll find the Thunderbolt is in "Sentinel Rave", the last level.
- Flunky Boss: The "four Terrors" are guarded by hordes of enemies.
- Harder Than Hard: To access the Nightmare difficulty, you need to pick any difficulty mode portal, but NOT step into the gate to "Schumann Resonance". Step into any of the side ledges and look towards the portal you came in; you'll notice a switch on each wall beneath the walkway. Shoot one, go back quickly to the Difficulty selection area, and check the two columns; one of them should have its inner platform lowered. Step quickly onto it to lower the central wooden pillar, whereupon the game should tell you that one remains. Once done, enter another difficulty portal (again, this can be any portal), go to the other ledge, shoot the other button, and repeat the whole process. Once that is done, a secret passage behind the slipgate to "Schumann Resonance" opens. Enter and you'll be warped with a platforming challenge in an Acid-Trip Dimension, with the Nightmare portal sitting atop the big diamond-shaped platform in the centre of the room. Giant lava walls move back around the course, though they thankfully only push the player around, and falling into the lava lake below the course simply teleports the player to a given checkpoint.
- I Have The High Ground: After destroying the second seal in "Sentinel Rave", you'll come into a set of spiral staircases. A Shambler is awaiting at the top.
- Kill Enemies to Open:
- You have to kill all four Grunts in the last Monster Closet of "Schumann Resonance" in order to continue.
- After passing the Gold Key door area in "Shotgun Experiment 1", you'll eventually come to a room with pillars. Some of them have bars that close when you go near them, and then a bunch of Knights, Death Knights, Shamblers and Ogres start spawning. Clearing them all is needed in order to proceed further.
- In order to leave the area in "Latent Quarter", you need to kill the Death Knight and a pair of Shamblers.
- "Torture Department":
- After the walls in the Demon area are closed and the Demon reveals a hidden chamber with several enemies, killing them is necessary in order for said wall to retract and for the player to proceed.
- Passing the Gold Runekey door, three Vores and a Shambler are awaiting for you. Killing them is required to exit the level.
- Marathon Level: "Sentinel Rave" has 400 enemies on Hard difficulty.
- Mid-Boss: After the last panel in "Shotgun Experiment 2" is triggered, Chthon emerges from the lava. As you don't have any way to kill it, you have to escape from the area.
- Monster Closet:
- "Schumann Resonance":
- After the Gold Key door, a section of the floor reveals a pair of Grunts.
- Traveling in the moving platform atop the cesspit reveals another platform in front of the starting point with several enemies.
- While carrying the Blue Key, passing through the catwalk above the slime pit triggers two sets of bars, and a nearby room opens revealing some Grunts.
- "Dead on Arrival":
- Just pressing the first switch reveals a nearby cabinet with several Grunts and Enforcers.
- After picking up the Gold Key, returning to the platform reveals a Fiend hidden behind a secret wall.
- Picking up the Blue Key in the chamber revealed after the first switch opens four previously closed walls in the way back, one of which has a secret Megahealth.
- "Witchouse Mixtape":
- After the ramp area, entering into it will lower a nearby platform with four Grunts.
- Using the Gold Key and activating a nearby platform lowers it, revealing three Grunts.
- Disabling the lasers to the level exit reveals on the way out a secret chamber with Grunts and Enforcers.
- After lowering the bars in "Latent Quarter", going to the Gold Key door area reveal a broken wall with a Shambler behind it.
- Passing the first corridor after the platform in "Torture Department" a wall reveals a Fiend hiding behind it.
- "Shotgun Experiment 2":
- Picking up the Nailgun and returning to the starting area triggers an earthquake and a Vore jumps from below.
- Just entering the first indoors room opens up two closets full of Zombies. There's also a conveniently placed Grenade Launcher nearby.
- "Schumann Resonance":
- New Weapon Target Range: Two in "Shotgun Experiment 1":
- Passing through the Zombies has you picking up a Grenade Launcher.
- After going through the Gold Key door, you're greeted with a Super Nailgun. Near the area, a bunch of bars reveal a bunch of Death Knights and Ogres hidden behind them.
- Nothing Is Scarier: In "Sentinel Rave":
- The first time you descend through the elevator, you reach a pitch-black zone with no sounds at all. At one point, four inscriptions appear on the walls, with the message "You can't escape as long as the seals exist".
- After the four seals were broken and the Gold Key taken, you must take this same elevator in order to escape. Except when it reaches a specific top point, where everything is completely pitch-black, after which you drop down into a new room with four "Terrors" that have to be eliminated. Only a few structures are visible in the middle of this void, but you can walk through it without problems.
- Notice This:
- The first secret of "Schumann Resonance" is marked by an invisible light on top of a box.
- "Witchouse Mixtape"
- Three secrets are locked behind shootable buttons with red light coming from them. Two of them reveal a passage behind a wall, another triggers a platform to the small chamber where the secret is located.
- Another requires you to notice a differently colored brick wall in the lower level.
- The catacombs of "Latent Quarter" hide a Red Armor behind a false wall that is triggered by shooting a button.
- Rewarding Vandalism:
- The secret Quad Damage in "Dead on Arrival" is locked behind a wall that must be shot at.
- "Witchouse Mixtape":
- The first secret requires shooting a wall in front of the computers in the first U-corner.
- After traveling through the outdoors, you find a wall with a different color than the surrounding walls. Shooting at it reveals a secret entrance to a chamber with the Super Shotgun.
- "Torture Department": The runepillar area that unlocks a door to continue forward has a dark area at the top, from where a trio of Scrags come from. It also contains a button at the very top that reveals a hidden chamber with a Megahealth.
- Some Dexterity Required: The first secret in "Sentinel Rave" requires a Rocket Jump.
- Suspicious Video-Game Generosity:
- At the very end of "Shotgun Experiment 1", you're greeted with a Megahealth pack in front of the exit. A Shambler is hiding behind one of the walls.
- On your way to the Blue Runekey in "Torture Department" there's a secret Quad Damage around a nearby ledge. It comes in handy right after picking the Runekey, as the area the Quad is located in also has a teleporter right to the middle.
- Teleporting Keycard Squad:
- A downplayed example in "Dead on Arrival", triggering the bridge over the slime pit near the end of the level spawns four Grunts.
- In "Witchouse Mixtape", disabling the laser field has you being welcomed by Ogres, Knights, Death Knights, Scrags and Fiends on your way to the exit.
- "Latent Quarter":
- Picking up the Gold Key reveals a bunch of Scrags nearby.
- Killing a pair of Ogres on your way out of the area teleport a bunch of Scrags.
- "Torture Department":
- Picking up the Blue Runekey lowers the platform leading to an area with several Ogres and a Shambler.
- Picking up the Gold Runekey spawns a bunch of Fiends near the Blue Runekey door.
- "Sentinel Rave":
- Picking up the Blue Key spawns a plethora of enemies.
- There's a secret Ring of Shadows and a Quad Damage located around the fourth seal and the Gold Key. As you keep pressing the buttons that release the seal, stronger enemies appear, culminating in hordes of Vores, Shamblers and Scrags when you try to pick up the Gold Key.
- Too Awesome to Use: Not only is the Thunderbolt found as a weapon in "Sentinel Rave", ammo for it is extremely scarce. And the Enforcers in the previous levels didn't drop ammo for it.
