The word "tycoon" has been used in such an inflationary way, that meanwhile it means nothing else than "strategy game". LT isn't a typical tycoon game at all. It's a marketing trick to add "Tycoon" to the name of your game.
There hasn't been that many tycoon games of LT's simplicity on the portals. I'd say there is still room for more. I'm not talking downloadable versions of games like Rollercoaster Tycoon etc. I'm talking about sleak, simple games(like LT of course). Success is never a fluke. How it's arrived at ... maybe. I agree. For one thing, 80-90% of the games wouldn't be up to par.
This one just hit me today when navigating through our horrendous local underground car-park at the local K-mart.... The trolley boys! They're everywhere, with their evil trolleys. Sure, they're just trying to make a dollar, but why do they ALWAYS have to be walking along in front of you, blocking up the carpark for minutes on end??? And that scratch on my car, I'm sure it was made by a runaway trolley. I'm sure theres an idea just waiting to happen there, either a game from the trolley boy's perspective (Avoid angry drivers), or from a driver's perspective (...) Anyway, please resume normal conversation
Hmm, a trolley racing game set in a supermarket. Sort of Carmageddon with bonus cakes and washing power. More seriously, a basic simulation of a supermarket would be good (I suspect it's been done). The layout in real supermarkets seems to be more or less pulled out of a hat so it would be nice to give the manager a hand with a game/simulation... "Trolley Jam Pro"? Mark
Another free idea This is one I'm quite fond of, but know that I'm the wrong person to implement it. Instead of breakout... break-in! Play an acrobatic thief/spy in a combo breakout/platform/puzzle game where you control both a moving trampoline (breakout bat) and, when s/he lands on a platform, the thief character. Break blocks, flip switches to disable traps (FRIKKIN LASERS!), and bounce your way to each level's hidden treasure. Possibly even beat up some security guards with your exciting ninja moves. The control scheme (probably mouse+keyboard) might be a bit tricky, which means the perfect person to take this on is - Cas! Who can also play up the British Mystique for character design and marketing purposes - everybody loves a British masterspy, right? (cue Bond music) I think it sounds like great fun and would love to play it but I'm not the right person to build it properly. So go on.
I think that's brilliant... and could be done with just the mouse easily! Move the mouse to move your "trampoline" (to keep the theme, two helper thugs in black & white striped shirts would be hauling it back and forth), and click the button to have the thief do a context sensitive action. The default action is a ninja spin kick, but for instance, there could be poles sticking out of the wall, and if you are near one and hit the button, she grabs on and begins vaulting around it. Hit the button again to release in whichever direction she's facing when you hit it. Vault to another to build up to an ultra combo. Other context actions including pushing buttons, planting bombs, throwing ninja stars you collect, who knows. Heck, forget breaking the bricks - you have to hit the button when near a brick to plant a bomb that detonates a couple seconds later! The nice thing about that is that it means the game isn't just a dressed up breakout - there couldn't be a ton of bricks if breaking each one was such an experience, so it would be more about going the right places and flipping the switches and knocking out guards and whatnot. Probably add right click for a graviton-like effect (because no game is complete without it), perhaps implemented by pulling a 500lb weight out of her shirt, leaving you to wonder why it has no effect when hidden. Poor mac users would just need to get familiar with their space bar. I'll see if I can make this for you sometime, papillon.