So lets say that you are alive and well and one night a perfect clone of you is made with all of your memories. You survive this process and sleep through the night. When you wake up, you have a stroke during breakfast and die as a result. Your clone is made to replace you and life, for everyone, continues as if you did not die.I don't think it's a clear cut scenario which is why I have issue with the 'ending discussion' thread. I feel the assumption that the posters are taking of engram V being less than the "real" V is dismissive/reductive of the games ambiguity.
If you retain your mind, your memories and your notion of existence then I regard it as a 'perfect copy'. Something that sticks out to me is that when you're riding out with Panam at the end you have the choice to bring up Jackie and reminisce about him.
If a copy is indistinguishable from the real thing then how do you prove it's a copy?
The philosophical issue here is not with everyone else or whether the future has changed with your death because you could argue in that case nothing has changed. The issue is that while you're having breakfast, you feel that stroke coming on. You're scared. You feel pain. And you lose all consciousness forever. To only the original you, the death IS IMPORTANT.
That is why, if you were actually V, you would not choose to get copied and killed.