I want to chime in here. I definitely feel the AFK timer is a required feature for this game. If someone isn't actively playing, then why stay connected to the server? That is a pointless connection to the server that only adds to server strains. 30 minutes is a hell of a lot better than games like world of warcraft, that log you out after around 5 minutes. 30 minutes is very generous and it's enough time for me to step away to use the bathroom, get a drink, or even warm up a snack in the microwave.

So I definitely feel the afk timer should stay put, the time alloted is more than sufficient to get a couple real world things done before getting back to the game.