On my private server even with a setting x1.0 often when I returned from work in the evening I found a Death Star sized T3 base in the spot where there was nothing in the morning.
x0.1 setting works much better with the game, it makes many things relevant, like T2 buildings or even picking up resources from dead NPCs.

I heard that they punish for building huge bases? It’s like feeding a kid with sweets and fast food all the time and then punishing him because he got overweight.