You can make friendly epics! The purple one is doing the baby-nuzzle animation just as an even bigger epic walks in and stomps on something.
There is an incredible amount of detail and control in planet creation. You can even have plants be on a planet that would otherwise be T0 and hostile to life, at least I think so. Take a look at about 2:14, you can see one of those hot acid clouds pass by along the bottom of the screen and at 5:30 you can see one of those lava geysers.
I think he said something about not really wanting that black ground where his buidings are.
I think Maxis is hyping it up for us as they are showing us the possibilities, lol!
I have an idea of making a true 'zoo' planet, which literally IS a zoo. Just have to find a way to make epics not act all lovey but not spit fire at people.
Blargh, I've got the hype bug, lol.....