when Archons announce that they had 1 million and only got 500k or any number, you are forgetting that you are not getting paid in power points your getting paid in resources you spent, I was told that by Plarium support and they showed me all the men I lost and all the men they gave me in return for my loses in resources, weather it be in actual resources or higher level men in the same amount of equal resources. the reason why it looks like you didnt get back what you spent is because they dont USE power points to pay you back, and that is the reason they give you higher level warriors because they are worth less power points but cost more resources. here is a small example you can use it at higher levels.
if you lose 200 javs which cost you 2400 in resources taking a position they may pay you back with 1 agema which cost 2400 in resources. this is an example to see how the numbers are in there favor, its not and actual position, just to show you how they pay you back your resources spent.
the problem is one agema is only worth 1640 in power points and the 200 javs is 3800 power points, so you only got back 1/2 of the power points, but they pay you back the amount of resources you lost in men. You didnt think they gave you higher level men to help you out. LOL.
I know its a ripp off but if you include the higher level men that you might not able to buy and the general items you win and if there is a tournament to help your coalition or a solo tournament, and the quest with the xp points to help you to get to the next level, its not that big of a lost, also use your generals bonus, save two items of each item example one shield helps javs and heavies and the other shields helps phalanx and cavls more than the other, swicth them back and forth depending on which men you use to take a postion.