Some folks have already mentioned this but it really needs to be restated. Having some warning allows the owners of the object and/or base to at least be there to defend. In DAoC there was no such system. You would spend all day on a saturday or sunday running around trying to obtain relics and then you would wake up the next day to find out a rival group waited till 4 am when no one was around to defend to raid and take your items. That takes all the fun out of even trying to go after the items again.
If you want to raid empty bases to take items when no one is there and give yourself a guaranteed victory then maybe playing a MMO isnt for you. There is no fun in that. I would rather play all night against the best the otherside has to offer and lose then to fill myself with some type of false pride that I stole your stuff while you were sleeping.
The warning system is perfect. If I get the warning and cant make it to my own base in time or cant get enough people together to help defend then fine but at least I have a chance to defend what I spent my time to create.
