Cautionary Tales: SimCity Plays With Fire

Fire! It's nice to look at, pleasant to sit around during the harsh winter months, and - because Mother Nature likes a good laugh just as much as the rest of us - one of the most insanely destructive forces on this planet. And now, it's coming to a SimCity near you. Well, OK, it's only doing so if you're a really miserable/sadistic city planner. Wondering how to avoid reducing all your hard work to ash? Hey, me too. We have so much in common. Near as I can tell, step one is to watch the following trailer and then do the exact opposite.

So probably build some fire stations. And maybe don't abruptly abandon an entire neighborhood, even if the "oooo, pretty" cortex of your brain wants to watch the pretty lights dance. Even then, though, as Alec noted in his preview, fire trucks could get stuck in traffic or something along those lines. Everything's simulated this time around, as opposed to previous entries, which were probably closer to SmokeAndMirrorsNeatoAlgorithmCity. The Internet-on-launch requirement does sound pesky, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to this one. The possibilities seem nearly endless. I wonder, though, if I can also remove ladders from things - say, for instance, swimming pools. You know, to keep my Sims safe, obviously. From the fire. Yes. Yes.