The pte is not completely the same for everyone. There is or was a bug that allowed bases with 100k points (level 26💹) to be founded next to the control hub.
The war was almost equal with the unlimited movements., Now that they have decided to add the POIs, the difference as grown.
In any case, it is a test server.
Now those small bases will produce the same as I do with their lvl 47 POIs🤣👁️🗨️.
As for the cheaper upgrades, I don't see the point. No morale, PvE feels normal. Maybe in a normal world you can feel the difference because there's no starting bonus.
The world without POI is very interesting, I like it.