I've been away from the MTA scene for a while now but I was once a head admin on Valhalla MTA and heavily involved in the server's origins and it's period as the #1 MTA server. Seeing the current state of MTA's RP community is very disappointing.
When we first created the Valhalla script our aim was always to be innovative and offer role players, mainly those from SAMP who had never played MTA before, something new. Our edge was to try and do things differently and hopefully better. Admittedly we didn't always get it right, but in general we did. This was evident by our large player count. Becoming successful was not easy and it was not quick. The scripters put in months of work before we launched the server, we endured periods where we achieved daily peaks of fewer than 10 players and throughout that time I was involved the script was constantly updated and improved (sometimes maybe too fast) with innovative features. It took commitment, patience, hard work and even talent.
My point is that no server based off of a copy or with minimal thought or effort is going to see long term success. Running a role play community is almost a full time job that requires dedication, effort and maturity. Three key characteristics most role play community leaders seem to be missing.
Running a role play community was incredibly rewarding, however it is not something that can be decided on a whim.
Off-topic: Please don't mistake me with the forum user "Chamberlien". He is a former Valhalla player who, for whatever reason, chose to adopt a name very similar to mine.