This certainly isn't a copy of a game. Yes, we are using an existing client however the content provided on our server is entirely unique. There are plenty of quests, tournaments and events that exist on our game that do not exist on the commercial game. From this it is possible to make the argument, that if a commercial game is mismanaged (which Conquer Online definitely is) it is very possible for a game built on its client to be more attractive then the commercial game itself. An example of this is unless you are the type of person who is willing to dump thousands of dollars into a game, you probably won't enjoy the commercial Conquer Online that much.

In regards to your list of other investments, we have made a post previously explaining the difference between the models used which you can read here: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1545327.msg15642283#msg15642283

This is the furthest thing from a copy-paste game and I would recommend you download the game and give it a try. You'll see from just moments after logging in it most certainly is not "bots and maybe 2 real players."

Hope you have a chance to try it out