a) they should provide an alternative means to make cash other then from kill-loot-cycling
b) missions should allow oneself to stay a little more in-character (as trader I'd be better off making trade runs between stations)
c) different kind of mission designs I like:
- I. Scouting
- finding the base of another faction;
finding a wreck with an important item;
guiding a fleet of ships somewhere
- cargo-delivery
- protecting someone from someone else (e.g. Korolevs)
- Find someone and do the deed (this would tie in nicely with Hero-Ships)
- deliver important piece of information to another station somewhere in a set amount of time
- a kind of space race against other ships? On a set track with borders and obstacles (gas clouds, mine field..)
- find a special item and bring it back to the base (this one is more or less based on luck)
- missions that explain a little what's going on in the universe around myself, introduce the story itself and important players/ factions and general background information
- somewhere late is a station in the process of being build. They need material, you got some cargo-room. Why not jump in and help out? They pay only half, but you might get something out it of later.
- finding the base of another faction;
