Sure they can. They can just take the tricks that they did to limit loot (I.E. not letting inactive bases come up and a few other things like that they did) and not do them.
I agree I am seeing a lot of friends leave the game because of this. I know a lot of guys that have gravitated to other games now trying to entice me to come with them. (But I am trying to hang in there in the hope they fix a few things) And they were all die hard coc'rs before they nerfed the loot. (Plus adding/forcing war with no opt in/out choice has chased away a lot of folks)

