An interesting twist to missions would be a requirement that you stay in open and stay logged in until you've completed it, and giving counter missions to other players to hunt you down.
Call it Prey and Predator.
Have both sets of missions include payouts for wing members (these count as either prey or predator depending on which wing they join) as well to encourage cooperative play, but both sets are fixed once the mission is accepted - if a non-lead prey or predator leaves a wing for any reason, they fail the mission and cannot rejoin the wing.
Make the payout (for both prey and predator) scale with the rebuy cost of the transporter's ship, and make it a requirement that the transporter doesn't switch ships after accepting the mission.
If the prey disconnects in any way, joins a crew, dies or doesn't arrive at the destination within the allotted time, the mission fails. No punishment for failing. Any predators killed during a successful prey mission increases the prey mission payout by 50% of the predator's ship rebuy. Any non-lead prey killed during a successful predator mission, increases the predator mission payout by 50% of the prey's ship rebuy.
Make the payout be 1 million credits per jump required (plus ship rebuy), and make it a requirement that you use the route planner and it is set to economical, and have the missions require a minimum distance of 100 light years and 500 light seconds to the station.
While there can be multiple sets of predators, only one set will get the payout, namely the set that lands the killing blow.
Two example missions for both prey and predator. Gateway to Aditi is 78 jumps with economical route planning.
In Gateway:
"PREY MISSION Transport High Value Target to SMJL Central (2,331.21 light seconds) in Aditi (452.73 light years). Must arrive within 6 hours and 30 minutes.
PREY MISSION REQUIREMENTS: If you disconnect, log out to main menu, die or do not arrive at SMJL Central within the allotted time, the mission fails. There is no punishment for failing. You cannot change your wing or crew make-up after accepting this mission. Any wing-members that leave the wing after the mission is accepted cannot rejoin your wing. Prey lead must use economical route planning for the trip.
Mission payout upon successful completion: 78 million credits plus your ship's rebuy cost. Your other wing or crew members split 39 million credits evenly. Additionally killing any predators during this mission will increase the mission payout upon successful completion by 50% of the prey's rebuy cost, split evenly among all wing or crew members."
Upon accepting the mission, your wing or crew members automatically accept a mission that looks like this:
"PREY MISSION - WING/CREW MEMBER Protect wing/crew member CMDR Vectron on the journey from Gateway to SMJL Central in Aditi. Must arrive within 6 hours and 30 minutes without having died. If you disconnect from the wing/crew for any reason, you fail your mission and cannot rejoin the wing/crew until their mission concludes. X must use economical route, you are under no such obligation.
Mission payout upon successful completion: 39 million credits split evenly between non-lead wing/crew members. Additionally killing any predators during this mission will increase the mission payout upon successful completion by 50% of the prey's rebuy cost, split evenly among all wing or crew members."
Let's assume the mission was given at 12:00 PM UTC
Elsewhere in the galaxy:
"PREDATOR MISSION Kill CMDR Vectron carrying a High Value Target from Gateway to an unknown destination before 18:30 PM UTC. Prey was last seen flying an Imperial Cutter in Gateway at 12:02 PM UTC.
[PREDATOR MISSION REQUOREMENTS] You cannot change your wing or crew make-up after accepting this mission. Any wing-members that leave the wing after the mission is accepted cannot rejoin your wing.
Mission payout upon successful completion: 78 million credits million credits split evenly amongst all crew/wing members.
CMDR Vectron may be escorted by wing members. Killing any wing member, will increase the mission payout upon successful completion by 50% of the wing member's rebuy cost, split evenly among all wing or crew members."
Upon accepting the mission, your wing or crew members automatically accept a mission that looks like almost identical.
"PREDATOR MISSION Kill CMDR Vectron carrying a High Value Target from Gateway to an unknown destination before 18:30 PM UTC. Prey was last seen flying an Imperial Cutter in Gateway at 12:02 PM UTC.
[PREDATOR MISSION REQUOREMENTS] If you leave the wing/crew before the mission is successfully completed, you fail the mission and cannot rejoin the wing/crew.
Mission payout upon successful completion: 78 million credits million credits split evenly amongst all crew/wing members.
CMDR Vectron may be escorted by wing members. Killing any wing member, will increase the mission payout upon successful completion by 50% of the wing member's rebuy cost, split evenly among all predator wing or crew members."
And to add to the challenge - every five jumps by the prey, the predators are given the prey's location, but are not given information on the prey's escorts, other than them being marked as Mission Targets.
However, the prey is always advised of the predators' names and location (when they jump), and they too are marked as Mission Targets. This allows the prey escort to try to head off the predators by attacking them.
By making the destination unknown to the predators, they cannot simply lie in wait for an ambush - they have to actively pursue the prey.
The time limit is set to 5 minutes per jump required. Jumps can usually be completed in less than 60 seconds, meaning that this gives you extra time to re-route, refuel, rearm and repair as needed.
The goal with this is to make high risk, high reward missions available, where none really exists at the high end at the moment.
In a combat equipped cutter, I have absolutely nothing to fear from NPCs, to the point that I can park in a combat zone and go for a toilet break without worrying about being killed. They are, at best, a nuisance that slow me down on my way to a destination. This is why this would be open only - if this is available in private groups or solo, then the risk drops through the floor. By having players hunt players, you get the highest risk scenario, and it might even work as a productive "occupation" for the PvP groups.
Call it Prey and Predator.
Have both sets of missions include payouts for wing members (these count as either prey or predator depending on which wing they join) as well to encourage cooperative play, but both sets are fixed once the mission is accepted - if a non-lead prey or predator leaves a wing for any reason, they fail the mission and cannot rejoin the wing.
Make the payout (for both prey and predator) scale with the rebuy cost of the transporter's ship, and make it a requirement that the transporter doesn't switch ships after accepting the mission.
If the prey disconnects in any way, joins a crew, dies or doesn't arrive at the destination within the allotted time, the mission fails. No punishment for failing. Any predators killed during a successful prey mission increases the prey mission payout by 50% of the predator's ship rebuy. Any non-lead prey killed during a successful predator mission, increases the predator mission payout by 50% of the prey's ship rebuy.
Make the payout be 1 million credits per jump required (plus ship rebuy), and make it a requirement that you use the route planner and it is set to economical, and have the missions require a minimum distance of 100 light years and 500 light seconds to the station.
While there can be multiple sets of predators, only one set will get the payout, namely the set that lands the killing blow.
Two example missions for both prey and predator. Gateway to Aditi is 78 jumps with economical route planning.
In Gateway:
"PREY MISSION Transport High Value Target to SMJL Central (2,331.21 light seconds) in Aditi (452.73 light years). Must arrive within 6 hours and 30 minutes.
PREY MISSION REQUIREMENTS: If you disconnect, log out to main menu, die or do not arrive at SMJL Central within the allotted time, the mission fails. There is no punishment for failing. You cannot change your wing or crew make-up after accepting this mission. Any wing-members that leave the wing after the mission is accepted cannot rejoin your wing. Prey lead must use economical route planning for the trip.
Mission payout upon successful completion: 78 million credits plus your ship's rebuy cost. Your other wing or crew members split 39 million credits evenly. Additionally killing any predators during this mission will increase the mission payout upon successful completion by 50% of the prey's rebuy cost, split evenly among all wing or crew members."
Upon accepting the mission, your wing or crew members automatically accept a mission that looks like this:
"PREY MISSION - WING/CREW MEMBER Protect wing/crew member CMDR Vectron on the journey from Gateway to SMJL Central in Aditi. Must arrive within 6 hours and 30 minutes without having died. If you disconnect from the wing/crew for any reason, you fail your mission and cannot rejoin the wing/crew until their mission concludes. X must use economical route, you are under no such obligation.
Mission payout upon successful completion: 39 million credits split evenly between non-lead wing/crew members. Additionally killing any predators during this mission will increase the mission payout upon successful completion by 50% of the prey's rebuy cost, split evenly among all wing or crew members."
Let's assume the mission was given at 12:00 PM UTC
Elsewhere in the galaxy:
"PREDATOR MISSION Kill CMDR Vectron carrying a High Value Target from Gateway to an unknown destination before 18:30 PM UTC. Prey was last seen flying an Imperial Cutter in Gateway at 12:02 PM UTC.
[PREDATOR MISSION REQUOREMENTS] You cannot change your wing or crew make-up after accepting this mission. Any wing-members that leave the wing after the mission is accepted cannot rejoin your wing.
Mission payout upon successful completion: 78 million credits million credits split evenly amongst all crew/wing members.
CMDR Vectron may be escorted by wing members. Killing any wing member, will increase the mission payout upon successful completion by 50% of the wing member's rebuy cost, split evenly among all wing or crew members."
Upon accepting the mission, your wing or crew members automatically accept a mission that looks like almost identical.
"PREDATOR MISSION Kill CMDR Vectron carrying a High Value Target from Gateway to an unknown destination before 18:30 PM UTC. Prey was last seen flying an Imperial Cutter in Gateway at 12:02 PM UTC.
[PREDATOR MISSION REQUOREMENTS] If you leave the wing/crew before the mission is successfully completed, you fail the mission and cannot rejoin the wing/crew.
Mission payout upon successful completion: 78 million credits million credits split evenly amongst all crew/wing members.
CMDR Vectron may be escorted by wing members. Killing any wing member, will increase the mission payout upon successful completion by 50% of the wing member's rebuy cost, split evenly among all predator wing or crew members."
And to add to the challenge - every five jumps by the prey, the predators are given the prey's location, but are not given information on the prey's escorts, other than them being marked as Mission Targets.
However, the prey is always advised of the predators' names and location (when they jump), and they too are marked as Mission Targets. This allows the prey escort to try to head off the predators by attacking them.
By making the destination unknown to the predators, they cannot simply lie in wait for an ambush - they have to actively pursue the prey.
The time limit is set to 5 minutes per jump required. Jumps can usually be completed in less than 60 seconds, meaning that this gives you extra time to re-route, refuel, rearm and repair as needed.
The goal with this is to make high risk, high reward missions available, where none really exists at the high end at the moment.
In a combat equipped cutter, I have absolutely nothing to fear from NPCs, to the point that I can park in a combat zone and go for a toilet break without worrying about being killed. They are, at best, a nuisance that slow me down on my way to a destination. This is why this would be open only - if this is available in private groups or solo, then the risk drops through the floor. By having players hunt players, you get the highest risk scenario, and it might even work as a productive "occupation" for the PvP groups.