Tom Hall interview at www.3drealms.com

There is an interview with Tom Hall at 3drealms.com:

http://www.3drealms.com/news/2006/01/the_apogee_lega_2.html

Greetings
Funduke

Remember, it's Tom Hall, not Tomtom.

Anyway, Tom Hall is the man, he had a vision and Carmack was like "meh, how about the bare bones?"

Shockingly, the new design, though with tons less meat than the other, won over the fans...odd.

Hopefully he'll reprise his role as El Oscuro in the ROTT movie. ;)

Woot. I really wish him luck on getting the rights to Keen back someday. Id's just sitting on the rights. Damn meanies. :/

BBG said:
Shockingly, the new design, though with tons less meat than the other, won over the fans...odd.

With less fat, you mean.

BBG said:

Anyway, Tom Hall is the man, he had a vision and Carmack was like "meh, how about the bare bones?"

Don't forget Romero's vision of Daikatana (making you his bitch).

I've never had much respect for this guy. Seems to me just like a professional version of 'Wouldn't it be cool if you added *feature*'.

We can all do that. Plus his whiney bitching about not owning the IP of keen is just gay. He's a crappy kid with a giant helmet. Oh man, I wish I was as creative as he was.

If he was geninuely the brains behind goddly design I'm sure he could come up with something better and move on from his 'lawl dopefish' days.

mallis said:

I've never had much respect for this guy. Seems to me just like a professional version of 'Wouldn't it be cool if you added *feature*'.

I never thought of it that way. You could have a point - except that his "cools" actually are cool. His vision for Doom was exceptionally cool.

mallis said:

He's a crappy kid with a giant helmet.

Yeah, I quite liked the Keen games, but the character was just "so what?" as far as I'm concerned. However, Keen is far more appealing to me than some stupid plumber with an over-sized moustache. That guy is just annoying. I can't understand the appeal of Mario at all.

Right now I'm touching Tom Hall's
signature. I just thought I'd say that.

Enjay said:

Yeah, I quite liked the Keen games, but the character was just "so what?" as far as I'm concerned. However, Keen is far more appealing to me than some stupid plumber with an over-sized moustache. That guy is just annoying. I can't understand the appeal of Mario at all.

The point of Mario is that he's so NOT a superhero in every way, and somehow he ended up being a superstar superhero, which makes him a hero. Does that make sense?

Enjay said:

His vision for Doom was exceptionally cool.

Are you talking about the Doom bible? If so, cool is not the word I'd use, more like cheesy.

AndrewB said:

The point of Mario is that he's so NOT a superhero in every way, and somehow he ended up being a superstar superhero, which makes him a hero. Does that make sense?

Oh, I have no problem with that basic idea. However, the background that they picked for him just gets up my nose for some reason. I have nothing in particular against plumbers, moustaches or Italians but Mario bugs me.

Use3D said:

Are you talking about the Doom bible? If so, cool is not the word I'd use, more like cheesy.

I was. Cheesy, yes, but some of the stuff in there (and I don't just mean the bare bones that were used) would have been superb. Some of the ideas were very forward thinking. Of course, it might not have been a game I'd want to play for 12 years. :/

Use3D said:

Are you talking about the Doom bible? If so, cool is not the word I'd use, more like cheesy.

Tom Hall just has a vivid mind.

mallis said:

Seems to me just like a professional version of 'Wouldn't it be cool if you added *feature*'.

Exactly. Doom's fun because it's a straight shooter. Also bear in mind that Doom was amde in 1993 when computers would probabally explode though the pressure if a lot of Tom Hall's ideas got in.

ROTT sure didn't explode too many computers!

When's Rise of the Triad Forever coming out? And DNF. Seriously, when the fuck is that coming out? I don't even remember what DNF even stands for. Or what its supposed to be about. I heard something about slot machines and lasers, but that was from a 2003 source, and that can't be an accurate picture of the new product. There might have been a research scientist in a lab that fights invading aliens or something. I'm cold. Where's my egg salad sandwich?

Damn, DNF jokes will never get old. EVER.

Fiend said:

Damn, DNF jokes will never get old. EVER.

lol Duke Nukem Forever! rofl it's not coming out! ROFLMAOULOLWTF ANY TIME SOON!! HAHAH

Enjay said:
Some of the ideas were very forward thinking.

Some where used in ROTT, others in Duke Nukem 3D. But the backdrop story, much of the naming (especially E1 maps) and other details, like humor used and the characterization of the bosses (however meagre) do seem bible-based.

I don't know if the original Hall's plot it's good or cheesy, but the fact is that everyone that tried to give life to it (id Software, and many doomers including myself) get bored sooner or later and modify it or abandon the project.

Tom Hall + John Romero is a winning combination. I kept expecting them to get the rights to Keen when they were together at Monkeystone, and was disappointed when that never happened. It was a pretty perfect opportunity. But yeah, I'd love to see Tom make a new game.

mallis said:

I've never had much respect for this guy. Seems to me just like a professional version of 'Wouldn't it be cool if you added *feature*'.

Well he's also a coder and a sprite artist. Sure, he lagged behind, as the industry's facets further specialize, but I was surprised by the genius behind Anachronox, so I'm willing to bet the guy has some gold in him. He's stuck in wacky, vaguely retro concepts, but hey, not like there's an abundance of that in the game industry right now.

He's also the best video game voice actor I know (he did Walter Simons and others in Deus Ex).

sargebaldy said:

He's also the best video game voice actor I know (he did Walter Simons and others in Deus Ex).

For me the best voice actor is Stephen Russell (of Looking Glass Studios fame), but yeah, Tom's surely in the top five.

Zaldron said:

Stephen Russell

Yay! Garrett. :)

myk said:

With less fat, you mean.

Well, no. More along the lines of "more to look at than candles to distract you from killing."

Not that I care, Doom kicks tons of ass just the way it is.

Danarchy said:

Woot. I really wish him luck on getting the rights to Keen back someday. Id's just sitting on the rights. Damn meanies. :/

I always thought a Keen game for gamecube, something like Mario Sunshine, might be cool. I know id was looking for a new direction, but maybe not quite as extreme as that would have been.