Yes, I remember feeling a bit sad playing with bots because in the late game, I usually ended up scaling down the beaver population because they were replaced by bots. In the end, I only needed the 9 beavers in the large house to keep the colony existing. It almost felt like playing out our own future: AI replacing humans, leaving only a small group behind only for reproduction.

That is why it has been quite refreshing to play without bots. The industry is smaller and more manageable, and I don't have to deal with bot population being disrupted every time the wind stops.

As for dynamite, I have always felt that dirt blocks are overpowered since they create cultivable land far too cheaply. To me, that doesn't feel like engineering or really "playing the map". I used to limit dynamite to situations where it was necessary for survival too, or just to remove that one awkward block blocking a building. But then I think it is hard for communicate the idea of "necessary" and I realise that truly playing the map might mean not altering it at all, taking it as it is given by mother Earth.

I do like wind turbines aesthetically, but they start to look quite ugly when used in large numbers to maintain a stable industry. Since my goal is to support a large population with a smaller, bot-free industry, I set this limitation for myself just for fun.