So we have Plex which is both a way to pay for the game with game money and real money redirecting funds that otherwise would go to ISK sellers back to CCP. Brilliant! Then there's the character bazaar where slackers can go a buy a character instead of training one up which they'd do anyway on eBay otherwise so CCP is smarter than most game companies and instead enables this while charging a fee in real money for it.

What about botting? In particular for mining. Would be be wise to enable this as a legitimate feature in the game with say a penalty to ship defenses to do it because of the required AI module so as to throw a bone to high sec gankers? Could something like this significantly diminish the allure of these cheat programs?

Why continue mining manually then? Well perhaps it would be like the difference between driving stick vs automatic. You can choose the best asteroids to mine if you control your ship directly etc.

The only way to defeat the bots is to have mining in highsec nerfed into oblivion. Let's see the bots handle mining in lowsec and nullsec.

Just remember if something like this shows up one day that you saw it here first!

The only way to defeat the bots is to have mining in highsec nerfed into oblivion. Let's see the bots handle mining in lowsec and nullsec.

What's X-¦?

What I mean is this: you would buy a module like any other that would enable you to control your ship remotely like a drone to mine automatically while you say fly around in an orca or some other ship perhaps to shoot roots. I don't mean allowing 3rd party bot programs.

In fact you could control X barges with advanced skill

As a non AFK miner I find your idea horrid and would have me quitting in a mississippi second, and I am pretty sure most legit miners would quit. I get that most people do not like mining, but there are some of us who do not mind it. You would ruin the game for many of those people. I am not worried about this becoming part of the game, CCP has a hatred for botting, and they have a love of real life dollars. Dollars will will win out every time.

Actually according to CCP surveys, most players somewhat like or very much like mining. I don't know where this idea that "most people do not like mining" comes from, but it sure does not come from player data.

http://eve-files.com/dl/255173

The data does show that more survey respondents selected "Somewhat dislike" or "Very much dislike" for mining than any other game activity. About 25% of them. So its the most hated activity, but only by 25% of the respondents. Hardly a reason to remove the activity from the game, especially when over 50% of the respondents like it.

The only way to defeat the bots is to have mining in highsec nerfed into oblivion. Let's see the bots handle mining in lowsec and nullsec.

The only way to defeat the bots is to have mining in highsec nerfed into oblivion. Let's see the bots handle mining in lowsec and nullsec.

What I mean is this: you would buy a module like any other that would enable you to control your ship remotely like a drone to mine automatically while you say fly around in an orca or some other ship perhaps to shoot roots. I don't mean allowing 3rd party bot programs.

In fact you could control X barges with advanced skill