Howdy Rich:
So far, so good. You are on the right track. All of the following have an effect on your RP/day:
- Individual agent standing. This is modified with with Connections skill. Doing the missions boosts your standing with the agent daily, and your RP/day will go up slightly with each completed mission. Social V will help you get the maximum tick for each completed mission.
- Negotiation. Absolutely modifies the payout in RP/day.
- YOUR skill level. The higher you level (Minmatar Starship Engineering), the more RP. I have found that you will need to talk to the agent to get the skill-up to take. You might have to cancel research and re-start, but pretty sure just “starting conversation” updates the RP/day.
Obviously, going straight to Level IVs is the best option, but for me, it has always been about geographical convenience. If you have 4 x Level 4 in Amarr, Caldari, and Gal space you won’t run the missions. Just find the best combination of distance and level that works for you!