Are bots the answer to Atwar's Retention Problems?

Credits to Patricky and Dave in https://atwar-game.com/forum/topic.php?topic_id=49724.

Bots could be a game changer for AtWar since now:
1. Beginners don't need to rely on dwindling lobbies to fill games.
2. Bots don't discriminate.
3. Bots provide an approachable enemy for new players.
4. Bots can be teachers for new players at a time when the old guard has gone away.
5. More games can be started independently => Filling Lobbies => Increasing Activity => Making Lobbies more Magical => Increasing interest in the game.

At present, this game has no support system for new players other than a tutorial or two so no wonder new players would feel lost and confused trying to approach this game. And if the first thing they see when they join is a toxic r7 telling them they're trash and a bunch of r4s kicking them from a game then I don't see how we're supposed to recruit any new players at this point.

You know, there are some very cringe indie strategy games coming out in the last couple of years, that retain a much larger playerbase than atwar. Even if the AI is extremely easy to beat for human players, it is a necessary element of the gameplay.

So given that AI 2.0 (like i mean bots in games) is coming our way with full thrust at this point, having at least basic AI bots is a must.

Would that elevate the game overall? No idea.

A revisited approach to a better seasonal theme (other than coalition wars) and perhaps more events might drag a larger audience back as well.
For example... some guy had the idea of picking communism, fascism or democracy at the start of the game, besides a strategy. With all of them having different bonuses, such as communism giving you +1 reinf in all cities. This will lead to certain combinations or new meta. You can either make this seasonal, available for 3 months, or an event, for instance only available in December. Then reiterate on this idea and decide whether you keep this in the game or not.

However... atwar has no active development, which would be required for this. Dave develops this game as a hobby project. He is not working on it full time because quite frankly it is not worth it financially.

Can you convince him that it is worth it? Well, good luck i guess.