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Telltale Tycoon games?

ZeekZeek
edited July 2007 in General Chat
Stupid question, but it came to me while I was playing a demo of a game that costs more than TTH but had half the content.

Have you guys thought about making a tycoon game for casual gamers such as the people who bought TTH? Or is the idea of making a tycoon game this late after the fad-boom make you cringe with disgust?

Comments

  • EmilyEmily Telltale Alumni
    edited July 2007
    Hmm... I don't know if anyone's considered a Tycoon game, but there are some other ideas for casual games kicking around.

    What type of Tycoon would you want to be? A video game company? :D Or something different?

    I like the idea of various Telltale characters showing up in a casual game, kind of like how Sierra's old poker games worked, with characters from the different quest games in them.
  • Mike HaleyMike Haley
    edited July 2007
    Emily wrote: »
    I like the idea of various Telltale characters showing up in a casual game, kind of like how Sierra's old poker games worked, with characters from the different quest games in them.
    What would be awesome is a Telltale Texas Hold'em: All-Stars featuring Bone, CSI, Dank, Sam & Max, and whichever franchise characters Telltale secretly has the rights to (Grim Fandango? Maniac Mansion? Monkey Island? Sigh, I have high hopes).
  • ShaggEShaggE
    edited July 2007
    Emily wrote: »
    kind of like how Sierra's old poker games worked, with characters from the different quest games in them.

    And a generic talking bulldog! :p
  • ZeekZeek
    edited July 2007
    Emily wrote: »
    Hmm... I don't know if anyone's considered a Tycoon game, but there are some other ideas for casual games kicking around.

    What type of Tycoon would you want to be? A video game company? :D Or something different?
    Well, the one I was playing the demo of (and was disappointed with) was a movie theatre tycooning game. It was nothing more but a big numbers game with no real risk of failure. When I compared it to TTH (which is also a "numbers" game if you think about it), I found it lacking a lot of content both in game engagement and general creativity.

    On top of that, they wanted me to pay $20! I got more for $13 out of you guys.

    As far as what type of Tycoon game? Beats me at this point, but it would definately be something I can pick up and drop whenever I have a free moment as easily as I do with TTH whenever the card-shark in me bites or as I do with Sam & Max whenever I need my dose of nonsensical violent cartoon humor Cartoon Network won't air.

    I also like the idea of other characters coming in and making cameos. It does make the ideas come faster, if a bit stupid sounding. Toy Mafia Tycoon anyone? How about Barrelhaven Tycoon?:D
  • AdamGAdamG
    edited July 2007
    Ehhhhhh, I dunno. When I think of a tycoon game, I think rip-off. There have been very few good tycoon games, and a lot of terrible ones. It might hurt Telltale's reputation if they made a tycoon game, even if it was a good one.
  • LuigiHannLuigiHann
    edited July 2007
    Yeah, I'm honestly not crazy about the genre either. The only Tycoon game that ever interested me was Roller Coaster Tycoon, and that was more for the premise of designing parks (and more specifically, designing parks based on other video games) than for the economic simulation.

    It would be an interesting "mini-game" of sorts in a Sam & Max game, to have to build (or better yet, destroy) some kind of economic empire :D
  • ZeekZeek
    edited July 2007
    LuigiHann wrote: »
    Yeah, I'm honestly not crazy about the genre either. The only Tycoon game that ever interested me was Roller Coaster Tycoon, and that was more for the premise of designing parks (and more specifically, designing parks based on other video games) than for the economic simulation.
    That's why I bought Roller Coaster Tycoon and even Microsoft's Zoo Tycoon. They at least reward user creativity even though the main goal is to make a nice wad of cash. Every other tycoon game I've played since then hasn't had that in their game for one reason or another. If they do, it's usually unrewarding.
  • RabidZombieRabidZombie
    edited July 2007
    A video game tycoon company could be fun. I couldn't see it playing like RollerCoaster Tycoon, but something like Theme Hospital where you get space and you have to fill it efficiently and effectively.

    However, having building control over your offices would be great.
  • HaggisHaggis
    edited July 2007
    Oh, that sounds like a great idea! A Theme Hospital interface would be cool, I think. And if you put in things like pirates you can grow in bottles, and other geeky stuff like that, the employees would be happier. Also, you can buy outfits for them, like a Hawaii shirt or a Sam & Max T-shirt. And you can hire developers like you hire doctors in Theme Hospital. The expensive ones would always be ahead of schedule, while the cheap ones would code one line a day. :D
  • ZeekZeek
    edited July 2007
    Not to meantion the failure scenarios like your product not selling very well, so you would have to hire ace marketing people or like your product getting pirated making you upgrade your programers coding knowledge to at least limit the chances of that happening.
  • jmmjmm
    edited July 2007
    I don't know if you have AI guys at TT. A Tycoon game is 50%+ AI.
    And there is the choice of it being real time or turn based.

    So I dont know.

    ---

    Not a tycoon game, but a S&M (and/or Bone) online trading card game would be something. Cheap to produce, easy money (i.e.: release a custom card or set for $20) but needs a supporting community (With at least 100+ AdamGs)
  • HaggisHaggis
    edited July 2007
    jmm wrote: »
    Not a tycoon game, but a S&M (and/or Bone) online trading card game would be something. Cheap to produce, easy money (i.e.: release a custom card or set for $20) but needs a supporting community (With at least 100+ AdamGs)
    Oh yes, I'd love that. I used to play the LOTR online TCG for a while. I'd love a Sam & Max OTCG... and you could make the cards, jmm! :D
  • AdamGAdamG
    edited July 2007
    "(With at least 100+ AdamGs)"

    I'm not sure whether to feel flattered or upset. :rolleyes:
  • LuigiHannLuigiHann
    edited July 2007
    It'd be cool if they made a Sam & Max deck using the, what's it called, the Universal Fighting System, like Penny Arcade uses. Card Games like these are always so similar, so I like the idea of continually adding to one giant game.
  • jmmjmm
    edited July 2007
    AdamG wrote: »
    "(With at least 100+ AdamGs)"

    I'm not sure whether to feel flattered or upset. :rolleyes:

    I meant it in the good sense. With at least 100+ fans like you, playing all the time the game would be a success.
  • ZeekZeek
    edited July 2007
    I must have missed something. How did we get from tycoon games to card battling?
  • FrogacudaFrogacuda
    edited July 2007
    How about this:

    Tycoon-Game Tycoon: Create and market your very own exploitation of an untrademarkable pseudo-franchsise to an unsuspecting public! Oh the self-referential hijinks will never cease.
  • jmmjmm
    edited July 2007
    Well, as long as that doesn't turn out as a meta-game or abstract-meta-game... I'll try it...:D
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