The lack of a competitive edge over AFK players and bots is what basically kills mining as an active profession. There is also no reward of player-skill (besides indirectly, being able to mine ABC or optimized mining-logistics).

Some PI-like 'mini-game', boosting the yield exponentially by keeping the lasers in the 'red' and adding some additional challenges to reward player-skill has always been the most popular idea to improve mining. Perhaps even adding some ways for further increasing the collective yield through more (active) cooperation.

Sure, it's not perfect, but the amount of player-support this idea has gotten over the years, means its likely good enough to at least fix the mining profession.

Combine this with a reduction of the quality and quantity of the fixed asteroid fields, in favor of moving the bulk of the economy's mineral production to Gravimetric sites, tweaking respawn-mechanics to allow regional scarcity. The demand for exploration and the potential for conflict will further reward well-organized miners over the solo casuals.

While we're in the mood for throwing stupid suggestions out there, moon harvesters should operate in the above way also

No its not. There's nothing wrong with it at all. If CCP can't be bothered to provide something entertaining to do during the 5 minute ice harvester cycle, it's reasonable for me to grade papers while my miners grind away.

if you really have a problem with it, don't ever dock up and go to the bathroom. don't cloak up and go to the bathroom. Don't go to a safe and go to the bathroom. LOG OUT and go to the bathroom. AFK is AFK, right? Don't take your hands off your mouse or the keyboard. Don't take your eyes off the screen. NEVER flip between clients that you can't see. Never flip to another program, an internet browser or anything else. Never move away from the computer while your ship is in warp. When you fly your freighter 30 jumps through high sec, don't take your eyes off the next gate icon. From the moment you log in, until the moment you log out, stay glued to the keyboard, even when there is no reason to.

Get real.

Eliminating AFK mining would double the mineral prices again. Don't you think mineral prices have gone up enough after the drone POO nerf, and bot bans.

Mining has just been fixed. It is not perfect but is better now than it ever was.

It is not broke and does not need fixed.

AFK/semi AFK mining is not a problem. In fact all it does is keep mineral prices down. Which is something this game needs right now.

The war on bots will continue keeping them in check. If you see someone you suspect is a bot report them. If CCP does nothing about it and they are not banned, then assume they have been determined to not be a bot , regardless of what you believe.

If the issue is in fact AFK cloakers, which are not a threat as an AFK pilot can not do anything to hurt you. Then removing them from local is a complete and perfect fix. But if the problem is in fact NON-AFK pilots who use the cloaking mechanic to spy on you as it was intended for, removing them from local will make them even more dangerous.

Based on your comments of cloaked pilots killing you, I would say it is not the AFK cloakers you really have a problem with, but the NON-AFK pilots who are actually a real threat. So stop complaining about AFK cloakers when an AFK pilot is no threat to you.

I was once an AFK cloaker, then I took a veldspar arrow to the knee

funny, i didnt know there is such huge problem on afk mining. asteroids are limited size and rarely last longer then couple cycles.

The lack of a competitive edge over AFK players and bots is what basically kills mining as an active profession. There is also no reward of player-skill (besides indirectly, being able to mine ABC or optimized mining-logistics).

This isn't a terrible idea but I have a better one, if you'll bear with me:

Make mining yield go into the cargo bay of exhumers.

That way cargo rigs are still beneficial, but miners absolutely have to pay attention more than once per hour.

Ive been thinking alot about how you fix afk mining. An idea that i had was that on mining barges and exhumers you seperate the ore hold into an ore bay and an ore hold. The ore bay is what the mining yield goes to after a cycle, so make it like 1000m3 bigger then the perfect mining yeild for the ship. Now subtract that amount from the m3 of the current ore hold, and make that the ore hold. You have to actualy place the ore from the ore bay into the ore hold. If the ore bay gets filled the miners turn off just like they do when the ore hold gets filled now. This way solo miner only have to move ore from the bay to the hold and can still hold the same amount. Fleet miners are uneffected at all since they just take each cycle and put it in a can or orca, and afk miners cant mine more then 1 cycle.

I don't see the problem with high mineral prices. Even at the top of the last peak, ships were still relatively cheap compared to the years before.

EVE works, because loss matters.