Fire spread
Fire propagates across flammable terrain — dry grass, wooden structures, oil slicks — spreading dynamically rather than staying confined to its point of origin. Far Cry 2's aggressive, spreading brushfires (which could burn down entire outposts, sometimes to the player's own detriment) and RimWorld's fire mechanic (a colony-threatening hazard that spreads between flammable structures) both treat fire as a semi-autonomous, dangerous system rather than a static damage-over-time effect. Designers use spreading fire to create emergent, high-stakes hazards distinct from direct enemy damage, to reward or punish environmental awareness (igniting an enemy camp versus your own base catching), and to add tension to any scene involving flammable materials. Key decisions: spread rate and conditions (wind direction and humidity as modifiers add depth but also complexity), containment options (firebreaks, water, extinguishers), whether fire can spread to the player's own structures or only hostile terrain, and performance cost of simulating spread across large areas. Pitfall: fire that spreads unpredictably or too aggressively can destroy player-built structures through no clear fault of the player's own — telegraphing risk (visibly dry, flammable terrain) is essential so fire damage reads as a consequence of a knowable risk, not bad luck.
- Dev effort: Medium
- Timing: Real-time
- Common in: survival, colony-sim, shooter
Seen in
- Far Cry 2
- RimWorld