Why WWII online Is not Popular

source from wikipedia

Criticisms
The focus of WWIIOL design is on realism, teamwork, and to a degree, historical accuracy. These alone place the game into a niche market in the game industry. While some players crave this design, and join the highly loyal playerbase, the effects of these design decisions often scare other players away and become the major criticisms of the game.

Steep learning curve
World War II Online is a game with a steep learning curve. This is due to several forms of complexity. First, there is a large offering of vehicles - each with a somewhat different interface to control. Most vehicles are extremely hard to drive without a joystick, with some being next to impossible without one. Players coming in from non-simulation game genres may have to try several times before they can even get an aircraft off the ground. There are no "outside views" to tanks, and tank drivers must look out of little slits or periscopes in order to see the surrounding terrain. Getting a better view often involves "unbuttoning" which exposes the crew to enemy fire. Second, the tactics for effectively using any given vehicle are various and complex. Players have to learn to listen to engine noises to track other players, conceal themselves, shoot effectively, and work together with other players to be effective. Many players go as far as memorizing the different sounds that enemy fire arms make, in order to distinguish them from friendlies. There are always new tactics and strategies to learn even for 5 year veterans.

Realistic vulnerability
Because of its emphasis on realism, death comes quick and hard. A single, well placed shot, can end a player's sortie immediately. This causes a large amount of frustration to new players, who lack the skills to compete effectively. Even more frustratingly, it is often difficult to learn from mistakes - when you die, you're quite likely to hear a shot, and see your screen go blank - having no idea who shot you. To help compensate, there is a very active group of players who are willing to help train and encourage new players - but these resources are often overlooked or ignored.

Slower-paced, strategic gameplay
Some players find the game to be slower paced than they desire. In early versions of the game, it was common for players to spend 30 minutes or more before finding enemy players to engage. They would often have to wait for a truck, and then drive for miles to the action. This level of realism appealed to the gamer craving authenticity, but left the casual gamer feeling disenchanted. Recent efforts by developers have focused on bringing more immediate action to the field, through the introduction of a feature called "mobile spawn points". Similarly, changes have been made to add more structure to the game by limiting battle to certain arenas designated by players enrolled in the "High Command". This ensures inexperienced players aren't simply wandering around an unoccupied and inactive area.

Interestingly, these improvements, which are lauded by players craving faster action, are unpopular amongst some players who instead favored the previous design.