I don't necessarily disagree with the premise in the opening post (I didn't read the entire 10 pages), but I would like to point something out.
I can do powertrading while there are maybe 20 people on the server, during downtime, while I'm also coding, in a meeting, reading a book or watching Miami Vice on the other monitor.
I can't really do that with missions - missions require full attention, while AFK powertrading Xeno Relics during downtime doesn't even need clicking the lanes - you literally just press F3 every ~100K.
@edit: Also, I think that without any changes to the NPC AI in the vain of HHC that makes NPC in missions behave a bit more like players, fighter missions aren't that good or helpful or useful. On HHC a very common advice for new players (especially those who had yet to loot their first nomad guns) was to go and shoot nomads in Unknown Gamma because it was good aim practice. I don't really expect much to be done about this here, cause I don't even know the precise implementation details of how the NPC AI on HHC was done, but it was there.
