POI's have been part of the game for a very long time. @methuselah remembers the time but they'd appeared 6years ago when I join. You probably also remember a time without a fortress :dizzy:
I don't think the values of the POI's are going to change anytime soon. Your return has highlighted what many say, that if you miss the first few days (or hours!) of a world then you may as well give up. It does also depend on which alliance you're in. If you get into one of the top 5 alliances then your bonus will help catch up, but it seems you need to be a heavily paying player as well as known to the hierarchy of the alliance to get into many alliances. (There are some who manage to do very well on 100cp and 12h rt but not many.)