L2 isn't dead! i would recommend you c6 or h5 for a project "but" (i type but because i don't know if it is good for you or not ) with 350 euro you will have max 500 players which for a pvp server is very good but not good at all for a mid/low rate! For a good project you need more staff in the gm team not just 1 admin and dev (if you are going to have a serious project ) but as you said it is not easy to find the right people..if you need any suggestions i can help you.I am playing this game almost 10 years and it is my favorite game but i dont know a shit from dev :D anyway good luck with your project and as you said RU servers they know their shit :) so try to advert in most ru social media