Quake 4: The Awakening Complete Edition
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Audio case file · Composition, Sound design, Implementation · 2026 · GAME AUDIO
Audio lead on the mod completing Quake 4's cancelled expansion from the recovered alpha build. I compose and implement the music, and repair the game's audio.
Facts
- Roles: Composition, Sound design, Implementation
- Year: 2026
- Engine: id Tech 4
- Middleware: /
- Platform: PC
- Version control: Git
- Timeline: 2026 —
- Status: In development
Project Overview
In 2026, an alpha build of The Awakening, Quake 4's cancelled expansion, resurfaced decades after being shelved. Our mod team, already behind the MOUSE: Reloaded mod for MOUSE: P.I. For Hire, set out to complete it: fixing bugs, finishing unfinished levels, re-recording the entire voice acting, and shipping the Quake 4 sequel that never existed. I handle audio direction.
Music & sound design
Some missions come with material, others with silence. When a demo from the original team survives, I develop it into a finished track, otherwise I compose in the Quake 4 style.
Same for sound: some areas and cutscenes are completely silent, so I create those from scratch.
The intro track builds on the sound of 1996's Quake while keeping Quake 4's military theme. The mission 2 tank fight has its own intro/fight pair: two synchronized tracks whose switch fires from the level script.
Implementation
Quake 4 ships with no audio middleware. Everything goes through sound shaders, speakers in the maps, and level scripts.
I rebuilt the missing part by hand: music that starts, changes and stops with the action. I also repaired what was there: cinematic music out of sync, loops cutting at the wrong time, missing soundscapes.
Tooling
I built the per-mission launch shortcuts, the sync pipeline to the game's Steam installation, and the dialogue script extraction used for the voice casting, allowing the team to work efficiently with the least amount of friction possible. This is really important, especially in a community project where a lot of people come and go every day: the dev experience has to be snappy, even for an abandoned 2004 game.
Audio examples
Notes
- Music Design: Composed and integrated the extension's missing music sections (AWAKEN intro, cinematics), synced with SFX and scene scripts.
- Tech Audio: Fixed broken or missing audio logic: sound shaders, speakers, and mission scripts rebuilt by hand.
- Management: Maintains the team repo: branches, merges, .gitignore, per-mission launch shortcuts, and dialogue documentation.
- Tools: Project tooling: mod-to-install sync script, VO dialogue extraction, and audio preview wired into the editor.
Links
Videos
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Contact : contact@kowskii.com · Résumé (PDF)