CO is really easy because after they did the huge dumbass launch day nerf to auto powers and powersets, they slowly nerfed npcs and buffed many powers most notably melee. Melee was quite weak at launch. They even buffed up some of the powers they nerfed at launch to draw back all of the lifetime subscribers that canceled. (Which btw you couldn't cancel lifetime subscriptions at first)
Npc nerfs to name a few:
Most npcs had -travel power debuffs that would shut off your superspeed or flight - Those of you that grinded costume pieces in Monster Island (CO's monster island) probably remember this annoying npc feature.
*Tough* status removed from many npcs
Signature villains in solo content toned down severely - Villains like MindSlayer were actually dangerous before.
Bottom line is cryptic has a bad history in overnerfing powers and encounters rather than taking it slowly. Often times what's really need is adding harder more challenging modes and encounters that reward you.
Yeah, thats kind of how i feel about CO. They had to cater to the lowest common denominator and then they had a tendency to nerf everything, it's like they just didn't know what they were doing. Ahem.
"Ok, we nerfed tons of powers, but now some things are harder than we expected."
"Well, alot of powers are, um, useless now?"
"Yes, but we should be THE HERO OF THE UNIVERSE. I know! LEts tone all the enemies down so we win every time!"
*Nerfed bosses so they were easy, now all the other players who weren't suffering some kind of ultra reflex problem and actually have some common sense are complaining the game is to easy*
*But also melee scrubs are mad they cannot compete in pvp, even though smart melee users are utterly slaughtering ranged players with telekinesis*
*They buff melee excessively to cater to the pvpers, now melee kills
everything in 1-2 shots, ranged players complain, so they do the same to range but only for very select powers in range*
"Well, now people are mad the game is to easy." "Nonesense, I suck at this game" "Dude have you looked at any of the powers, you don't even have an energy unlock and your trying to use force cascade on no recovery with a 300 endurance!" "Yes but your supposed to spend 20-30 seconds between every attack, you get more um, experience that way! Now nerf the higher tier melee attacks!"
*Melee attacks 'nerfed', but only the higher tier attacks. Tier 0 melee buffed*
"Now everyone is exclusively using melee combos and ignoring the higher tier abilities." "Oh who cares the higher tier abilities are supposed to be rarely used." "Well, ranged attackers still use advanced powers, but why are there so few players left?" "I dunno, they don't know how awesome our game is, the stupid pricks left for inferior games." "Wait we don't have any raids and healers are mad they are not getting to piggyback everywhere since everyone solos." "Hmmm, I know, lets make a raid that requires these completely attackless healers who have been sitting around doing nothing this whole time!" "Oh yeah they feel they would be helpful if dodging was nerfed, and since we need the money. LEts nerf dodging and then release some new powerful super items that cost money for sure." "But we already have gear like that!" "Well, nerfing dodging would nerf the gear that costed money to, so they'd have to buy our NEW gear." "BRILLIANT!"
*Players leave because now their freeform characters that were not purely damage, healers or tanks had become nearly useless in the latest content and on top of that the fire and ice rampage is boring from people just sitting there pounding a meatsack forever.* "Damnit, that did not work. Ok, um, what else, oh..."
"We did release vehicles and alot of people are using them. Overpowered?" "I suck at keeping in range of enemies on a vehicle I always overshoot them! Nerf the mobility! Oh and since I am dying tons of times buff the durability so I can sit still in a dozen lasers unaffected!" "No, better, make it so if I have regenerating mods on my vehicle, make it so I can sit in boiling LAVA in monster island indefinently!" "Yes, and lets charge 15 dollars for this um, upgrade. Lets disregard that the person asking for a slot improvement said he favors high speed and only wants to improve crappier vehicles that are never used." "That guys a jerk anyways, he always asks for variety and generally asks us to buff enemies back to where they were. Prick."
"So here we go, vehicles 2.0 is out. Wait, whats with this bait and switch thread? Oh screw it, ignore it for now. People who do not ever use vehicles and never spent any money on them hate plasma beam, ok lets nerf it." "Wait, why is everyone now calling us a bait and switch operation?"
"But now people are killing things with plasma cannon...ok still are." "I hate plasma cannon, nerf that stupid thing and make sure it's nerfed enough no one uses it!" *Now the bait and switch thread gets extremely popular, and now people are starting to call cryptic north on it. People are so angry at the people asking for nerfs now that they are throwing very nasty threats and the moderators instantly get attacked* "But, but we never meant to hurt anybody!" *Player jypes in* "Nobody ever does!"
......Sorry I got carried away there.
Edit: Included the fire and ice rampage.
And yes, I suspect they did have a dislike of me. Why else would they take my idea and twist it into their bait and switch scheme I was to blind to see at the time?