Bots can't be too smart or they won't be fun is true statement of all gaming automation, not just bots.
Left 4 Dead feels great to play because the "AI director" chooses what happens next based on how and what the co-op team is doing. It's programmed to be both merciful and unfair, as appropriate. That, tuned right, has you "riding the edge" though the whole experience.
(I guess in the future, game studios will use ML instead of manually-tuned rules and heuristics, for that balance.)
Left 4 Dead feels great to play because the "AI director" chooses what happens next based on how and what the co-op team is doing. It's programmed to be both merciful and unfair, as appropriate. That, tuned right, has you "riding the edge" though the whole experience.
(I guess in the future, game studios will use ML instead of manually-tuned rules and heuristics, for that balance.)