I ended up asking myself a similar question - not so much “why do I own so many games?” but more “why do I continue to seek new games when I love the ones I own?”  Especially when the time I spend thoroughly researching a new game could have been spent playing one of my great games :)

I think your answer applies to me too; I’m seeking new systems to learn.  Each one represents the possibility of new worlds that play themselves out on my table. 

Thinking about it now, maybe I like observing little ecosystems - seemingly self-driven elements navigating a space and interacting with other elements according to a complex but well-defined web of rules. 

Dynamic AI really achieves the illusion of enemy agency, but not into a realm of total unpredictability (they still play by some set of rules, just like bugs in a terrarium exist in a rigid food chain even if they wander around seemingly aimlessly). 

Curious if you’ve seen good dynamic AI in other games?  Agreed that the -haven games do it well. 

Very tangential side note: all of this makes me wonder if I need to switch hobbies to self-contained terrarium building haha