One of the most powerful parts of our design process is the moment when stories—shared in community workshops or expert interviews—turn into playable, interactive moments in the game.

A recurring topic that came up again and again? Evacuating with multiple cars.

Emergency managers and decision-makers warned us about the dangers of traffic congestion during wildfire evacuations, especially when households take multiple vehicles or attempt to evacuate with trailers or boats. These choices, they said, slow everyone down and can clog evacuation routes—putting more lives at risk.

But when we talked to residents, we heard a very different story.

People wanted to keep their horses and belongings safe, their vehicles accessible, and their livelihoods intact during an evacuation that might last days or even weeks.

We heard one story about a group of horse owners who worked together to load horses into trailers and move them out of the path of the fire. For many people, their animals (including large animals) are a part of the family and can't be left behind. We also heard stories from folks who wanted to optimize the belongings they could take with them by splitting across two cars. These are valid desires and pose challenging dilemmas for people in fire-prone areas. 

We explore dilemmas like this, and others, through branching dialog scenarios to support players in grappling with these difficult decisions without overlooking to challenges. A simulated evacuation that follows helps players understand the consequences of different choices, allowing them to see the congestion that occurs when everyone takes multiple vehicles.