Bots are awesome. They help fill up slots on unpopulated servers, provide a decent challenge and are great companions on days when you just want to chill out and relax or if you don’t have access to the internet.
In some games, you can configure your bot game experience, such as in Counter Strike: Condition Zero or Unreal Tournament GOTY (UT99). I love it when games give you the ability to do this as it allows for some really fun scenarios. Having a pistols-only match with bots, putting them all on one team so you can see how many you can take down before getting overwhelmed or having a 1v1 against a bot that is set to the highest difficulty.
Games where you can unlock new things and gain experience or progression through bot games or PvAI modes are great too. For instance, For Honor allow you to level up your characters and unlock new items without touching the PvP modes. I enjoy the gameplay but don’t like PvP in general so it was nice to be able to have the same experience in terms of progression like that of a PvP player.
Other games that come to mind are Forza Horizon 4, where you can race against AI drivers called Drivatars by yourself or alongside other players, and Insurgency Sandstorm’s Co-op mode. Both of these games allow you to level up and unlock new items by playing against the AI.
I understand why some developers decide to limit or even eliminate progression and experience gain in PvAI modes in some games as they are meant to be a practice mode or warm up for PvP where players can experiment with their loadouts or familiarize themselves with maps.
That said, it is really based on how the game is designed, the intended experience being offered by the game and the developers’ approach towards progression and PvAI modes. It makes sense for PvP-centric games to have progression locked behind PvP modes as that’s a core aspect of the game such as Call of Duty’s multiplayer where games played against bots in Private Matches do not grant experience or allow you to unlock new items.
Overall, I feel that bots add value to a game and offer an alternative experience for players who don’t play PvP much, even if they are just being used for warming up or breaks in between PvP matches. They are also great for games that no longer have a large player base, allowing players to keep games going even if its not the same experience as playing against or with other players.
Bots are still bots in the end of the day. They’re predictable, exploitable and perform worse than the average player at times but I’d take them over having an empty server.
Writing With Biscuits 