So what parts have you wanted to use, but nobody makes them....
Here's a start..
8 Mosfets in a single SO /TSSOP18 package, common source, similar spec to SOT23-6 duals
A 74HC138 or HC595 with 1A P-channel source drivers on the output
Small FPGAs in 48 and 64 pin QFP or QFN
SMD DIP switches that operate from the underside through a slot in the PCB
A mid-range microcontroller with a buttload of RAM (>64K) but without the cost of a ton of expensive flash & high-end peripherals, in a 48 or lower pin count QFP/QFN (Microchip PIC32MZ looks very interesting, when it appears)
And of course a component with exactly the same characteristics as a scope probe , for those times when probing fixes a problem