+1.

Change the squad system to a fleet system where you can have up to 5 squads in a fleet and use option 1

Yes but if you implement it with the current missions you have basically eliminated the factor of traveling time. Squad leader just sit in the station while others do the objectives.

That alone would make missions 5-10x more efficient yield that much more nic and tokens.

But you can already do this in the game right now too, just the other way around. Someone takes a mission with the squad option and does it alone, and in the end splits the reward to anyone in the squad sitting in the terminal. Still, I don't see a huge nic influx happening due to this.

Granted, the one sitting in the terminal can take the same mission as well in the new system and let it finish it by the others, but that's the main reason why we have to put a limit on the member count.

Distribute relation and NIC rewards only to members of squad who complete one particular objective or objectives.

For example - only those members who enter Zone A or only those who mine/harvest at least x amount of stuff.

I already mentioned that some where since this is a sandbox, I would prefer the most open to different choices and implement both.

Zoom is right there is no NIC faucet issue in any of the methods, rewards are shared/split just like we have now, if you want to grind for others fine by me. If it's for your 20 alts , well you are still paying for 20 alts who can also mine pretty well right now too.

I'm not docked so can't see the exact numbers but

Let me give you an example:

mining x amount of material

Current: 3 minute to the site, 1 minute mining, 3 minute back- 7minute for 700k nic + tokens. with 2 characters it takes the same amount time for double the reward

Proposed: character 1 sit in the station, character 2 at the site, traveling time is a non factor now, so time to complete mission is down to 1 minute

Nic generated for 2 characters in 1 hour:
Current: 700k x 8 x 2 = 11.2m
Proposed: 700k x 60 =  42m

and this is only a modest example, there are a few missions I can think of that would yield much more.

Ok, proposed changes makes a difference, That's why all rewards should be shared only by the agents contributing to the objective in some way.

If the full amount of the assignment is paid out upon completion it doesn't really matter to whom it is going to.

Simplest Idea Possible >

First a agent goes and gets a assignment.  They go and complete assignment and get reward.
(Lvl 1 Mission easy for one person)

Now they decide they want to complete higher assignments (Lvl 8 Missions (on alpha))  now said assignment is hard, very hard.  They want more people so they make a squad (works just the same as all the rest of the squads no difference).  Now there are 5 people in squad he can choose to complete it as a squad or for himself.

Simple, easy, not complex at all.  Its your mission so you complete it, if others have the mission they can DO the mission but it will be at a separate location.  (EI: The higher level Missions SPAWN, as in Eve they have there mission system down pat.)

The goal here is not to force a squad upon people but rather make missions extreamly hard so that they are favored for faster completion.  As it stands now missions are crazy easy, and there rewards (based on a time of completion) are imbalanced.

Simple Simple Simple.  One Mission One Person,  One Mission One Squad = The Choice to complete as a agent or a squad.

The main reason this has really came up is that most of the power blocks in the game us "standing squads" for defense, if you want to work around this a bit, improve squads so they have wings, commanders, squads with-in squads ect.  So that people can pair up into mission Wings, or squads, without leaving the Main grouping.

What separate location? This is not Eve, although your idea is sound, it might be a development problem, probably a overhaul on how assignments are done.

Ok that's true, but then on the second turn they only do 1 mission since the ones on the field don't come back.

And sooner or later we'll switch over to random mission issuers where this won't be a problem. This overwhelming list of 200 missions was doomed from the start.

Yes, but 1 at a time with 1 minute completion time is way better than 2 at a time with 7 minute completion time. That's still 3.5x better.

having over 350% more nic being generated is going to end up badly for the economy.

I wouldn't  be opposed to this if it comes together in a patch with random missions though. or what Merkle suggested about harder missions. Either way this should not be deployed on current available missions.