Monopoly Tycoon shipped in 2001. I was lead programmer. It was a real-time competitive tycoon — build on city blocks, run businesses, fight rivals for control — not a board game with graphics glued on.
People still talk about it. What they usually say is some variation of: why is there nothing like this anymore?
There are city builders. There are cozy procedural toys like Townscaper. There are business sims. There is not much that combines relaxed building with direct rival competition on a living map. That gap is what I am building now.
What I am building
- Procedural building on an irregular grid — low friction placement, readable neighbourhoods
- Competitive simulation — rival businesses, footfall, economic feedback you can actually read
- Custom stack — Cinder (C99/Vulkan) for rendering, Pulse (Golang/NATS) for session infrastructure
I am not using Unreal or Unity. I have done engine work for thirty years; this project is the point where owning the full stack is worth more than middleware convenience.
If you remember Monopoly Tycoon fondly, I am building the spiritual successor. Contract work continues through Hidden Bridge; get in touch if you want to discuss an engagement.