Tom Hall
Encyclopedia
Tom A. Hall is a game designer born in Wisconsin
. He attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison
, where he received a B.S. in Computer Science
. In 1987, he worked at Softdisk Inc.
, where he was both a programmer and the editor of Softdisk
, a software bundle delivered monthly. Along with some of his co-workers, John Carmack, John Romero
and Adrian Carmack
, he founded id Software
. He served as creative director and designer there, working on games such as the Commander Keen series
, Wolfenstein 3D
, Spear of Destiny
, and Doom.
After some disputes with John Carmack about the design for Doom and the amount of gore and violence, he left to join Apogee/3D Realms
. He was the game designer for Rise of the Triad
, produced Terminal Velocity
, and helped in varying degrees on Duke Nukem II
and Duke Nukem 3D
as well. He also worked on the Prey
engine
until August 12, 1996, when he left Apogee.
Next Hall co-founded Ion Storm
with John Romero, where he produced Anachronox
. The company also produced the 2000 Game of the Year, Deus Ex
, in which Hall voiced one of the characters. He and John then founded Monkeystone Games
, a company with the goal of producing mobile games in the then-nascent mobile industry. He designed, and Romero programmed, Hyperspace Delivery Boy!
, which was released on December 23, 2001. He and Romero joined Midway Games
in 2003, and Monkeystone closed in January 2005. Hall also left Midway early that year and did independent game consultation work out of Austin, TX
, until in February he joined a startup company
called KingsIsle Entertainment
based in the same area. Tom left Kingsisle and joined Loot Drop
on January 1, 2011.
, a large, green, buck-toothed, belching, dimwitted fish whose thought process is restricted to "Swim, swim, hungry". The Dopefish first appeared in Commander Keen episode IV, and references to it have appeared in many other video games since.
: Morpheus, a sentient AI
; Howard Strong, a ruthless and cruel MJ12
operative; and Walton Simons, the nano-augmented Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA). He also voiced the project director in Deus Ex: Invisible War
opening cutscene, and PAL-18, Councilman Willis, Dr. Hush-Hush and Eddie the Chew in Anachronox
. He was also the voice of the main antagonist of Rise of the Triad
, El Oscuro, as well as the Death Monk enemies from the game.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. He attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
, where he received a B.S. in Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
. In 1987, he worked at Softdisk Inc.
Softdisk
Softdisk is a software and Internet company based in Shreveport, Louisiana. Founded in 1981, its original products were disk magazines...
, where he was both a programmer and the editor of Softdisk
Softdisk (disk magazine)
Softdisk , originally Softdisk Magazette, was a disk magazine for the Apple II computer line, published from 1981 through 1995. It was the first publication of the company that was also known as Softdisk, which would go on to publish disk magazines for other systems, other software, and later be...
, a software bundle delivered monthly. Along with some of his co-workers, John Carmack, John Romero
John Romero
Alfonso John Romero is a game designer, programmer, and developer in the video game industry. He is best known as a co-founder of id Software and was a designer for many of their games, including Wolfenstein 3D, Dangerous Dave, Doom and Quake...
and Adrian Carmack
Adrian Carmack
Adrian Carmack is one of the four founders of id Software, along with Tom Hall, John Romero, and John D. Carmack . He had worked there as an artist. He was a major stock owner of id Software until he left the company....
, he founded id Software
Id Software
Id Software is an American video game development company with its headquarters in Richardson, Texas. The company was founded in 1991 by four members of the computer company Softdisk: programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer Tom Hall, and artist Adrian Carmack...
. He served as creative director and designer there, working on games such as the Commander Keen series
Commander Keen series
Commander Keen is a series of video games developed by id Software in the early 1990s. The series focuses on the adventures of Billy Blaze, an 8-year old boy who travels through space and assumes the identity "Commander Keen". The series was successful at replicating the side-scrolling action of...
, Wolfenstein 3D
Wolfenstein 3D
Wolfenstein 3D is a video game that is generally regarded by critics and gaming journalists as having both popularized the first-person shooter genre on the PC and created the basic archetype upon which all subsequent games of the same genre would be built. It was created by id Software and...
, Spear of Destiny
Spear of Destiny (computer game)
Spear of Destiny, often also called Spear, Wolfenstein 3D: Spear of Destiny or just SoD, is a 1992 first-person shooter computer game developed by id Software and published by FormGen Corporation, and is the prequel to id Software's Wolfenstein 3D...
, and Doom.
After some disputes with John Carmack about the design for Doom and the amount of gore and violence, he left to join Apogee/3D Realms
3D Realms
3D Realms is a current video game publisher and former video game developer based in Garland, Texas, United States, established in 1987...
. He was the game designer for Rise of the Triad
Rise of the Triad
Rise of the Triad: Dark War is a first-person shooter video game that was first released on February 17, 1995 and developed by Apogee Software . The members of the development team involved referred to themselves as "The Developers of Incredible Power"...
, produced Terminal Velocity
Terminal Velocity (computer game)
Terminal Velocity is a video game developed by Terminal Reality and published by 3D Realms on May 1, 1995. It is an arcade-style flight combat game, with simpler game controls and physics than flight simulators...
, and helped in varying degrees on Duke Nukem II
Duke Nukem II
Duke Nukem II is a platform game developed by Apogee Software and released December 3, 1993. The game consists of four episodes , the first available as shareware...
and Duke Nukem 3D
Duke Nukem 3D
Duke Nukem 3D is a first-person shooter computer game developed by 3D Realms and published by GT Interactive Software. The full version was released for the PC . It is a sequel to the platform games Duke Nukem and Duke Nukem II published by Apogee...
as well. He also worked on the Prey
Prey (video game)
Prey is a first-person shooter video game developed by Human Head Studios , and published by 2K Games. The Xbox 360 version was ported by Venom Games. The game was initially released in North America and Europe on 11 July 2006...
engine
Game engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
until August 12, 1996, when he left Apogee.
Next Hall co-founded Ion Storm
Ion Storm Inc.
Ion Storm Inc. was a Texas based developer of computer games founded by John Romero, Tom Hall , Todd Porter, and Jerry O'Flaherty, under the slogan "Design is Law"...
with John Romero, where he produced Anachronox
Anachronox
Anachronox is a 2001 third-person computer role-playing game produced by Tom Hall and the Dallas Ion Storm games studio. It offers gameplay in the style of console RPGs, such as Chrono Trigger and the Final Fantasy series...
. The company also produced the 2000 Game of the Year, Deus Ex
Deus Ex
Deus Ex is an action role-playing game developed by Ion Storm Inc. and published by Eidos Interactive in 2000, which combines gameplay elements of first-person shooters with those of role-playing video games...
, in which Hall voiced one of the characters. He and John then founded Monkeystone Games
Monkeystone Games
Monkeystone Games was a video game developer and publisher founded by John Romero, Tom Hall, Stevie Case, and Brian Moon. The company's focus was on mobile games...
, a company with the goal of producing mobile games in the then-nascent mobile industry. He designed, and Romero programmed, Hyperspace Delivery Boy!
Hyperspace Delivery Boy!
Hyperspace Delivery Boy! is the first title released by video game production company Monkeystone Games. A puzzle/action game developed for the Pocket PC and released on December 23, 2001...
, which was released on December 23, 2001. He and Romero joined Midway Games
Midway Games
Midway Games, Inc. is an American company that was formerly a major video game publisher. Following a bankruptcy filing in 2009, it is no longer active and is in the process of liquidating all of its assets. Midway's titles included Mortal Kombat, Ms.Pac-Man, Spy Hunter, Tron, Rampage, the...
in 2003, and Monkeystone closed in January 2005. Hall also left Midway early that year and did independent game consultation work out of Austin, TX
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, until in February he joined a startup company
Startup company
A startup company or startup is a company with a limited operating history. These companies, generally newly created, are in a phase of development and research for markets...
called KingsIsle Entertainment
KingsIsle Entertainment
KingsIsle Entertainment is a video game developer based in Austin and Dallas, Texas. The company was launched in February 2005, with perhaps the best known of its recruits being Tom Hall, co-founder of id Software and Ion Storm and J...
based in the same area. Tom left Kingsisle and joined Loot Drop
Loot Drop
Loot Drop, Inc. is a social game company headquartered in San Mateo, California. The company was co-founded by John Romero, Brenda Brathwaite, and Robert Sirotek in November 2010. On January 20, 2011, it was announced that their first game development deal was signed with RockYou...
on January 1, 2011.
Dopefish
Hall is also the creator of the DopefishDopefish
The Dopefish is a fictional fish that originated in the fourth Commander Keen video game, Secret of the Oracle, released in 1991. The character has since evolved into a PC game industry in-joke, making appearances in games from Apogee's 1994 Wacky Wheels as well as titles as recent as the 2006 SiN...
, a large, green, buck-toothed, belching, dimwitted fish whose thought process is restricted to "Swim, swim, hungry". The Dopefish first appeared in Commander Keen episode IV, and references to it have appeared in many other video games since.
Voice work
Hall provided the following voices for the computer role-playing game Deus ExDeus Ex
Deus Ex is an action role-playing game developed by Ion Storm Inc. and published by Eidos Interactive in 2000, which combines gameplay elements of first-person shooters with those of role-playing video games...
: Morpheus, a sentient AI
Ai
AI, A.I., Ai, or ai may refer to:- Computers :* Artificial intelligence, a branch of computer science* Ad impression, in online advertising* .ai, the ISO Internet 2-letter country code for Anguilla...
; Howard Strong, a ruthless and cruel MJ12
Majestic 12
Majestic 12 is the alleged code name of a secret committee of scientists, military leaders, and government officials, supposedly formed in 1947 by an executive order of U.S. President Harry S. Truman...
operative; and Walton Simons, the nano-augmented Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
(FEMA). He also voiced the project director in Deus Ex: Invisible War
Deus Ex: Invisible War
Deus Ex: Invisible War is an action role-playing game developed by Ion Storm Inc. and published by Eidos Interactive. Released simultaneously for Microsoft Windows and the Xbox video game console on December 2, 2003, the game is a sequel to the critically acclaimed Deus Ex...
opening cutscene, and PAL-18, Councilman Willis, Dr. Hush-Hush and Eddie the Chew in Anachronox
Anachronox
Anachronox is a 2001 third-person computer role-playing game produced by Tom Hall and the Dallas Ion Storm games studio. It offers gameplay in the style of console RPGs, such as Chrono Trigger and the Final Fantasy series...
. He was also the voice of the main antagonist of Rise of the Triad
Rise of the Triad
Rise of the Triad: Dark War is a first-person shooter video game that was first released on February 17, 1995 and developed by Apogee Software . The members of the development team involved referred to themselves as "The Developers of Incredible Power"...
, El Oscuro, as well as the Death Monk enemies from the game.