Today is a Diablo 3 special news posts for obvious reasons (see the news below). For a complete coverage of the Diablo 3 Press Tour and more information on the upcoming beta, check out Diablofans.com


Diablo 3 Auction House Announced - Spend and Earn Real Life Money!
The Diablo 3 Auction House was announced during last week's press tour and I'm sure that news will be very interesting for most of the readers of this site, because most of us wonder if it will have any effect on the evolution of WoW in the long run.


Diablo 3's Auction House will feature two currencies, the first one will be in-game gold and the 2nd one will be real life money. Yep, you read it right, Diablo 3 will let you buy items with either gold or real life money! It's also worth noting that you will also be able to sell loot for money, and transfer that money outside the game. I guess gold farming just got interesting.

See the screenshots and official FAQ below for more information.


Auction House Bidding - Dollars

Auction House Bidding - Gold

Auction Log - Gold

Auction House Search - Dollars

Auction House Sell - Dollars

Auction House Sell - Gold
 
Auction House Selling - Dollars
 


Diablo 3 Auction House - Overview
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
We’re introducing a powerful auction house system that will provide a safe, fun, and easy-to-use way for players to buy and sell the loot they obtain in the game. Items can be sold and purchased using real-world money or in-game gold.

An Easier Way To Trade
Sure, slaying monsters, demons, and cultists is a surefire way to obtain a ton of random new loot in Diablo III, but with the new auction house feature, it’ll be easier than ever to gear up your character with the exact items you’re looking for. You can also post the items you don’t need for players who are desperately searching for what you’ve got!

Don’t Need It? Put It Up For Auction!
Nearly everything found in the game, including gold, can be exchanged with other players directly or through the auction house system. So say you’re a witch doctor and you’ve just found an incredibly rare, incredibly powerful axe that only barbarians can use. In the previous Diablo games your best option might have been to sell the axe to an in-game vendor, but in Diablo III, you now have the ability to list that axe in the auction house for your fellow barbarian players to bid on. And you know another player will probably appreciate the true value of that axe more than some heartless vendor who’ll likely just melt it down for scrap….

Amazing Search Functionality
The auction house’s "smart search" functionality can automatically sort items in the auction house based on which upgrades would be most beneficial to your character. Also, searching for the best gear for multiple characters on the same Battle.net account can be done all from the same interface without having to log out.

The Choice Is Yours
Use of either the real-money or gold-based auction house is completely optional -- that decision can be made on a per-item basis, and both versions of the auction house are functionally the same. In addition, players have the option to simply sell the items they obtain to in-game vendors for gold. They can also trade items to other players through a direct character-to-character trading system in the game in exchange for gold, other items, or just an overwhelming sense of goodwill.

Players Only
Blizzard does not plan to post items for sale in the auction house. The driving purpose of the auction house is to provide players with a fun additional in-game option for what they do with the items they obtain in the game. Items sold in the auction house will be posted by players and purchased by players.

Safe and Sanctified
The real-money auction house provides players with an easy-to-use, Blizzard-sanctioned way to collect money for items they obtain while playing Diablo III. It also helps protect players from the scams and theft often associated with questionable third-party sites by providing a secure, completely in-game method for purchasing and obtaining the items they want for their characters.

Faster Than A Seven-Sided Strike
Sellers can post items for auction from any of the Diablo III characters on their Battle.net account, or from their shared stash (extra inventory space accessible with any of the characters on their account), without logging out. And after a buyer has won an auction, the item will become immediately available to be equipped and put to good use in the ongoing struggle against the forces of the Burning Hells.

Diablo 3 Auction House - FAQ
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
What is the Diablo III auction house system?
Acquiring epic new gear for your characters has always been a big part of the Diablo experience. Because of this, players have found a number of different ways to trade and otherwise obtain items both within and outside of the game. Many of these methods were inconvenient and either tedious (for example, repeatedly advertising for a desired trade in Battle.net chat channels and waiting for responses) or unsafe (e.g., giving credit card information to third-party trading sites). With Diablo III, we’re introducing a powerful auction house system that will provide a safe, fun, and easy-to-use way for players to buy and sell the loot they find in the game, such as weapons, armor, and runestones. Two different versions of the auction house will be available in Diablo III: one based on in-game gold, which players acquire through their adventures, and one based on real-world currency.

What’s the difference between the gold-based auction house and the currency-based auction house?
The gold-based auction house uses in-game gold for purchases and sales. With the currency-based auction house, players will be able to conduct these transactions using actual currency from an authorized payment method or from funds that have been added to their Battle.net account. Players can choose to participate in whichever version of the auction house they prefer, on a per-transaction basis.

How does the auction house system work?
Players can open the auction house interface from anywhere in the game to make purchases or list items for sale. Items can be sold from the shared stash (storage shared among all the characters on your Battle.net account) or from any individual character’s inventory. When posting the item, the seller picks whether it will be sold in the gold-based auction house or the currency-based auction house. The item is then held by the auction house system until the listing expires or a purchase is made. Items that are not sold are returned to the seller’s shared stash, and items that are sold are delivered to the winning bidder’s shared stash. In either case, the auction house system will deduct a nominal fixed transaction fee from the seller, the amount of which is determined by whether or not the item was sold (see below). For the currency-based auction house, players will have a few different options for how to pay for item purchases and receive funds for item sales, as discussed elsewhere in this FAQ. There may be differences in how this system will work in different regions of the world. We’ll provide further details at a later date.

How is the transaction fee determined?
A nominal fixed transaction fee will be deducted from the seller for each item listed in the auction house. This fee consists of a fixed charge to list the item, which is assessed whether or not the item is successfully sold, and an additional fixed charge that is assessed only if the item is sold. Because the listing portion of the fee is charged even if the item doesn’t sell, it will be in the seller’s interest to list items he or she believes other players will be interested in, and to do so at a competitive price. Specific details related to the transaction fee for the currency-based auction house will vary by region and will be announced at a later date.

Please note that we plan to waive the listing portion of the fee for a limited number of transactions per account. In other words, for these transactions, the seller will only pay a transaction fee if the item is successfully sold, and that fee will not include the listing charge. We’ll have further details on this as well at a later date.

Why are you creating a currency-based version of the auction house?
Our goal with all of our games is to ensure players have a highly enjoyable, rewarding, and secure experience. Acquiring items has always been an important part of the Diablo series, but the previous games have not had a robust, centralized system for facilitating trades, and as a result players have turned to inconvenient and potentially unsafe alternatives, such as third-party real-money-trading organizations. Many of the transactions between players and these organizations led to a poor player experience and countless customer-service issues involving scams and item/account theft, to name a few. To that end, we wanted to create a convenient, powerful, and fully integrated tool to meet the demand of players who wished to purchase or sell items for real-world currency, and who would likely have turned to a less-secure third-party service for this convenience.

How will the currency-based auction house work?
Players will be able to make purchases in the currency-based auction house using a registered form of payment attached to their Battle.net account. As with other popular online-purchase services, players will also have the option to charge up their Battle.net account with a balance of funds that can be drawn from for purchases of any digital product available through Battle.net -- this includes not only auction house items but also things like World of Warcraft subscription time and paid services, to name a few examples. On the flipside, when players sell an item in the currency-based auction house, the proceeds of the sale are deposited into their Battle.net account and can then be used as described above. Note that this process might be different for certain regions; we’ll provide further region-specific details as we get closer to launch.

Can players choose to get cash from currency-based auction house sales, instead of having the proceeds deposited into their Battle.net account?
Yes, as an advanced feature, players will have the option of attaching an account with an approved third-party payment service to their Battle.net account. Once this has been completed, proceeds from the sale of items in the currency-based auction house can be deposited into their third-party payment service account. “Cashing out” would then be handled through the third-party payment service. Note that this process will be subject to applicable fees charged by Blizzard and the third-party payment service. Also, any proceeds from the sale of items in the currency-based auction house that have been deposited into the Battle.net account will not be transferrable to the third-party payment service account. Not all regions will support this advanced feature at launch. Region-specific details, as well as details regarding which third-party payment services will be supported and the fee that Blizzard will charge for the cash-out process, will all be provided at a later date.

Is the currency-based version of the auction house optional?
Yes, the currency-based auction house is available as an option for players who wish to purchase or sell Diablo III items for real money. Players are also able to buy and sell items through the gold-based auction house, and they can trade items with each other as well through direct character-to-character in-game trading.

Why would I want to pay real money to buy or sell in-game items?
Acquiring items has always been a core part of the Diablo series' appeal. With the previous Diablo games, many players have shown a great interest in buying, selling, or exchanging items for their characters using real-world currency, turning to potentially unsafe avenues to accomplish this goal. The currency-based version of the auction house provides players with an easy-to-use, Blizzard-sanctioned way to collect money for items obtained while playing Diablo III. In addition, it helps protect players from scams and disreputable third-party sites by providing a secure, in-game method to search for and purchase items posted by other players that are a perfect fit for their character and play style.

The currency-based auction house is completely optional. Players who aren't interested in paying real money for items will still be able to rely on items they acquire through their own adventures, and they'll also be able to trade with friends and use the full-featured gold-based auction house.

Can I play on a server without a currency-based version of the auction house?
We want to provide a secure, fun environment for our players to purchase and sell in-game items using gold or real money and have no plans to divide the community. Players are free to participate in the gold-based auction house or the currency-based auction house, or to opt out of using any of the auction houses at all, progressing through Diablo III using only the items they obtain through their own adventures or direct trade with other players.

Does Blizzard plan to post weapons, armor, and other such items for sale in the currency-based version of the auction house?
The currency-based auction house is a place for players to purchase or sell items they’ve obtained within the game. Blizzard does not plan to post items that affect gameplay, such as gear or character-enhancing runestones, for sale in the auction house.

Will Blizzard sell anything directly through the auction house?
We don't have any plans at this time to post items for sale in the auction house.

Does the currency-based auction house signify a shift in Blizzard’s business and revenue model?
We’ve always tailored our business models to match what we’ve felt would be most appropriate and effective for each game and in each region, and that’s the case with Diablo III as well. The item-based nature of Diablo gameplay has always lent itself to an active trade-based ecosystem, and a significant part of this trade has been conducted through unsecure third-party organizations. This has led to numerous customer-service and game-experience issues that we’ve needed to account for. Our primary goal with the Diablo III auction house system is for it to serve as the foundation for a player-driven economy that’s safe, fun, and accessible for everyone.

What’s Blizzard’s cut?
As with other online auction sites and real-world auction houses, our fee structure will vary by region. However, we plan to collect a nominal fixed transaction fee for each item listed in the auction house. This fee consists of a fixed charge to list the item, which is assessed whether or not the item is successfully sold, and an additional fixed charge that is assessed only if the item is sold. The listing portion of the fee, which helps encourage sensible listing prices and discourage the mass posting of items that are very low quality or would be of little interest to other players, will be waived for a limited number of transactions per account. For players who opt to have the proceeds of their auction house sales go to their third-party payment service account instead of to their Battle.net account, Blizzard will collect a separate “cash-out” fee. Specific details regarding these fees will be announced at a later date.

Why would I even want to use the gold-based auction house?
We recognize that not all players would prefer or have the means to participate in the currency-based auction house, and it was important to us to provide these players with a full-featured alternative.

Can we buy gold from the currency-based auction house?
Players will be able to buy and sell gold through the currency-based auction house at whatever the current market price is, as established by the player community.

If I no longer need an item I bought in the auction house, can I relist it in the auction house?
Yes. Once you've purchased an item you can do anything with it that you could if you had acquired it through your own adventures, whether that be using it yourself, or, after a cool-down period, trading it to another character or relisting it on either the gold-based or currency-based auction house. In fact, you can generally do any combination of these things -- for example, you can purchase an item in the auction house, use it for a while, and then relist it or trade it to another character. Aside from certain quest items, there will be very few (if any) items that will be “soulbound” to your character and therefore untradable. Please note that the duration of the cool-down period mentioned above will be discussed at a later date.


AUCTION HOUSE FUNCTIONALITY

What items can be traded in Diablo III?
Nearly everything that drops on the ground, including gold, can be traded with other players directly or through the auction house system. Aside from certain quest items, there will be very few (if any) items that will be “soulbound” to your character and therefore untradable. We are also planning to allow players to buy and sell characters in the auction house at some point in the future and will have more details to share on that at a later date.

What is "smart searching"?
When players launch the auction house interface, they’ll be able to select any Diablo III character associated with their Battle.net account. The "smart search" feature will assess which item slots have available upgrades and will sort items available in the auction house based on which upgrades would be most beneficial to the character. You can also search for specific stats to match the requirements of a particular character build.

How does bidding work?
Players will be able to place a current bid as well as a maximum bid if they wish to engage in automatic bidding. In addition, they’ll be able to check the status of their bids on the "Currently Winning" page and the "Outbid" page in the auction house interface.

Can I buyout items that I want to purchase immediately?
Yes, the Diablo III auction houses will support a buyout feature as well as standard bids.

How do I pay for items?
For the gold-based auction house, purchases will be made using in-game gold. For the currency-based auction house, players can make purchases using a registered form of payment attached to their Battle.net account. As with other popular online-purchase services, players will also have the option to charge up their Battle.net account with a balance of funds that can be drawn from for purchasing items in the currency-based auction house. Note that this process might be different for certain regions; we’ll provide further region-specific details as we get closer to launch.

How do I receive the items I’ve won?
After winning an auction, the item will be available to pick up through the built-in auction house interface in the Diablo III client. Players will then be able to immediately send that item to their shared stash (storage shared among all the characters on a Battle.net account) or repost the item in the auction house after a cool-down period. The duration of the cool-down period will be discussed at a later date.

How do I sell items?
From the auction house interface, players will be able to select items from their shared stash or from a specific character's inventory. They will then be able to post items for sale by listing a starting bid and buyout price.

How do I cash out from the currency-based auction house?
As an advanced feature, players will have the option of attaching an account with an approved third-party payment service to their Battle.net account. Once this has been completed, proceeds from the sale of items in the currency-based auction house can be deposited into their third-party payment service account. “Cashing out” would then be handled through the third-party payment service. Note that this process will be subject to applicable fees charged by Blizzard and the third-party payment service. Also, any proceeds from the sale of items in the currency-based auction house that have been deposited into the Battle.net account will not be transferrable to the third-party payment service account. Not all regions will support this advanced feature at launch. Region-specific details, as well as details regarding which third-party payment services will be supported and the fee that Blizzard will charge for the cash-out process, will all be provided at a later date.

Will buying or selling items in the auction house reveal my identity?
No. All player transactions in the gold-based and currency-based auction houses will be anonymous, and neither your real name nor your character name will be revealed to other players.

Will there be a mobile or Web-based auction house?
We're always on the lookout for opportunities to enhance the game experience and keep our community connected to our games through the Web or mobile devices. However, we do not have any plans to share along those lines at this time.

When will this be available for testing?
We'll share more information on our auction house testing plans as we get closer to launch.


REGIONAL AUCTION HOUSE DETAILS

Which regions will have currency-based auction house support?
We plan to roll out the currency-based version of the auction house in as many regions as possible with the launch of Diablo III. In regions where the currency-based auction house will not be available, players will still have access to a gold-based auction house. We'll share more details in the future.

Will there be separate auction houses in each region? Will I be allowed to bid on items from players outside my own region?
Due to various factors, including technology, language, and currency, there will be multiple separate auction houses serving different player communities around the world. We’ll share specific details on how the auction houses will work for each region as we get closer to launch.

If I live in Australia/New Zealand/Southeast Asia, what server will I play Diablo III on?
As with StarCraft II, players who purchase the Australia/New Zealand/Southeast Asia version of Diablo III will have their own regional servers, offering lower latency and more action during peak hours. While we encourage players to play on these servers, we recognize that many have longstanding friendships with North American players and would like to continue playing with them. Because of this, we're again giving Australia/New Zealand/ Southeast Asia gamers access to both regions' servers so they can choose where they'd prefer to play.

How does this impact the items I have purchased in the auction house?
Auction house purchases are bound to the servers in the region in which they're bought. Any items acquired on the Australia/New Zealand/Southeast Asia servers, in-game or otherwise, are bound to those servers and are not transferrable to the North American servers (and vice versa). Please keep this in mind when making purchases in the auction house.

What currencies will be available? What currency will items in the auction house be viewed in? Can players purchase items using local credit cards or bank accounts?
Our goal is to make the auction house experience in each region as seamless as possible for players, and we are currently exploring various currency and payment options to help achieve that goal. We’ll provide further details as we get closer to launch.


AUCTION HOUSE GAMEPLAY ISSUES

Will I be able to use third-party mods to track auction prices?
For a variety of gameplay and security reasons, we will not be supporting bots or mods in Diablo III, and they’ll be expressly prohibited by our terms of use for the game.

Can Hardcore-mode characters use the currency-based auction house?
No. Hardcore characters will only have the option to buy and sell items together with other Hardcore characters via a separate "Hardcore-only" gold-based auction house; they will not be able to use the currency-based auction house. Hardcore mode is designed as an optional experience for players who enjoy the sense of constant peril that comes with the possibility of permanent death for a character. All of a Hardcore character’s items are forever lost upon that character’s death, so to avoid the risk of a player spending real money on items that could then be permanently lost when the character dies, we decided restrict the use of the currency-based auction house in Hardcore mode.

If my character dies in Hardcore mode, will I lose the items that I purchased in the "Hardcore-only" gold-based auction house for that character?
Yes. Again, Hardcore-mode characters will only have access to a "Hardcore-only" gold-based auction house, not the currency-based auction house, and will not be able to trade with non-Hardcore characters. Hardcore is an optional mode designed for players who enjoy playing with the risk of permanently losing their character if the character dies, and that includes the items they acquired with that character.

Can I just buy the most powerful items and breeze through the game?
Items will be level-restricted, meaning your character won't be able to use an item until he or she is at the appropriate level for that item.


AUCTION HOUSE CUSTOMER SUPPORT

What happens if a player does not receive a purchased item?
The auction process is automated, but if a player purchases an item and for some reason does not receive it, he or she will be able to contact our customer service team to look into the issue.

What happens if there is a patch and the item I purchased is altered?
It's important for us to ensure that Diablo III remains balanced and fun for years after launch. To that end, it may be necessary to change stats or alter abilities of items from time to time. It’s very important to note that Blizzard will not be providing refunds or making other accommodations if a purchased item is later altered in a patch. Given this, it's up to players to determine whether they're comfortable purchasing items in the currency-based auction house.

Someone bought an item on my account without my permission. Can I get a refund?
Please note that account sharing will be forbidden in Diablo III's Terms of Use. In cases of compromise, our customer service team will look into the situation and determine the appropriate course of action.

I accidentally lost or dropped an item I just purchased -- can I get a refund?
No. After a purchase is made, players will be responsible for what they do with the item.

How will you address bots or cheaters?
We take cheating very seriously, and we've designed Diablo III and Battle.net to include measures to detect and prevent unfair play. In addition, we will have anti-cheating policies in place and will take action to address any issues as they arise.
This article was originally published in forum thread: Diablo 3 Auction House Announced - Spend and Earn Real Life Money! started by Boubouille View original post
Comments 1869 Comments
  1. Buzzinjoe's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Bluumberry View Post
    It is something that the gaming community as a whole needs to know. Why should that be limited to only people who are hardcore Diablo3 fans?

    I'm not interested in the Diablo series, but I sure am glad to know this since I'll never trust Blizzard again because of it.
    Herein lies the problem. I have no issue with Bibi posting this news. But if he does he should do it in its entirety and not just a tiny snippet of a massive article. Your reaction is what comes out of a news post like this one.

    Just plain uninformed hatred for a brilliant system.
  1. Phokas's Avatar
    Bobby Kotick strikes again...dunn dunnn dunnnnnnnnnnn. http://www.blisteredthumbs.net/wp-co...oul_BOBBYK.jpg
  1. Cygne's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Bluumberry View Post
    EXCEPT for the fact that you're the one who will be losing more money and Blizzard gaining. Don't understand what I'm talking about? Read about how many times Blizzard will make you pay while using this "feature".
    From Blizzards FAQ:
    How is the transaction fee determined?

    A nominal fixed transaction fee will be deducted from the seller for each item listed in the auction house. This fee consists of a fixed charge to list the item, which is assessed whether or not the item is successfully sold, and an additional fixed charge that is assessed only if the item is sold. Because the listing portion of the fee is charged even if the item doesn’t sell, it will be in the seller’s interest to list items he or she believes other players will be interested in, and to do so at a competitive price. Specific details related to the transaction fee for the currency-based auction house will vary by region and will be announced at a later date.
    Please note that we plan to waive the listing portion of the fee for a limited number of transactions per account. In other words, for these transactions, the seller will only pay a transaction fee if the item is successfully sold, and that fee will not include the listing charge. We’ll have further details on this as well at a later date.
    So I see a listing fee and the Blizzard-house cut on sale. How is this any different than other auction sites? Oh wait it isn't... sooooo where's the problem again?

    ---------- Post added 2011-08-02 at 02:42 AM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by darkensign View Post
    Oh and just FYI, Jay Wilson reckons the transaction fees will cover running costs. What reason does he have to lie? It's not like it'll make a difference if he said "Yeah, we're hoping to generate a little more profit this way."
    If these little transaction will help supply the running cost and keep Diablo in development for more than just ONE expansion, then more power to them. Ten years and having to suffer with WoW in-between was way too long!
  1. Ishu's Avatar
    If they don't separate real players who play games for fun and morons who waste money I won't be playing this game. It's insane that this real-money auction house was even considered.
    I don't think you understand how Diablo works. You don't play on a huge server with hundreds of people. You play in games with 10 people or less, and you can decide who gets to join your game. So if you don't want to play with people who use real life money to buy items, then don't invite them to your game. It's not that much of a problem.
  1. Xhyre's Avatar
    Im amazed that people don't actually realise that even people who wont ever use the diablo 3 AH will benefit from this system, this will also benefit the game content wise. Since blizzard can make a "small" profit out of the items you sell. That means they have an interest in continued sales, which will give them a pretty good motivation to add more content to the game, without dabbling in the "oh lets durp durp add 317312 expansions". Oh and inb4 "they will add expansions". They might, they prolly will, but they will still have a larger interest in adding more content in patches. Which you by the way will be able to play WITHOUT EVER using the ah. Neat huh?
  1. mmoc020312c146's Avatar
    Worst idea ever i really hope this fails and they learn their lesson. The only way to make it fail is to not buy into it. Diablo fans you need to stand your ground and not pay into this system.
  1. Demonidze's Avatar
    well, there gonna be a fee to post an AH in rl money AH, there gonna be a fee when AH sold, and another fee when money trasfered to you, now... considering you can be undercut, that your auction actualy might not be sold(you still pay the fee to post it in first place). does it really worth it ? Iam sure many people will prefer to use regular gold AH.
  1. Sava's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Ademptio View Post
    Is it april 1st alrdy? DAMN! What is blizzard thinking... I wanted to try out D3, but now... Dont like games that require you to spend money on the game in first place and then have to keep adding... mounts/pets now loot...?
    where does it say it requires you to spend money?
  1. Orobas's Avatar
    well i guess i wont be playing diablo 3.its pay to win now
  1. Tovya's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by vindicatorx View Post
    You fail to see hwo this will affect those who don't use this system. Everyone will be selling anything they can for cash no matter if they are buying the stuff from them or not. Now for the few who actually do sell for in game currency will have the advantage of havng an item with huge demand they can pretty much charge double the in game currency for said item which really sucks for the non RMT people.
    I think you are underestimating the size of these AH's. Blizzard came up with a smart search function because they will be so large. I also think you fail to understand that not everything will be worth posting in the cash AH because of the fee involved. No matter what is going on in any of the AH you can still play the game and have fun finding the gear you want without ever opening the AH window. How big a step is it really between giving someone some in game gold you spent X hours earning and giving someone some $ you spent X hours earning? Your still buying an item from someone that you did not loot yourself in exchange for a time investment.
  1. Ishu's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Necro9000 View Post
    Worst idea ever i really hope this fails and they learn their lesson. The only way to make it fail is to not buy into it. Diablo fans you need to stand your ground and not pay into this system.
    Uh, the only ones who hate this system are the ones who have no interest in the diablo series anyway. Most diablo fans love it.
  1. Papabull's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Vook View Post
    ^This. Holy shit, this. Everyone who is QQing that this is bad, read this. BLIZZARD is not selling items, PLAYERS are selling items to each other. This has been happening in D2 for years, the D3 auction house is no different, except that it protects you from scammers, and Blizz makes a little bit of profit from it. Why is this such a problem?
    Because they are scared that someone will "Out gear them" and not work as hard as they did or not have as much "skill" as they do and blame them losing in PvP on the AH.

    ---------- Post added 2011-08-02 at 07:19 AM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by thebum06 View Post
    Uh, the only ones who hate this system are the ones who have no interest in the diablo series anyway. Most diablo fans love it.
    Diablo Fans love it because they know how the system worked in D2. WoW fans hate it because they are comparing it to how Warcraft works now. Two completely different games. I played D2 through LoD then quit, letting my account decay when WoW came out. I am very much looking forward to D3. Will probably be my "WoW killer"
  1. Varabently's Avatar
    Like people have said before. Previously in Diablo there was NO economy. So you can ignore the AH and it will play just like Diablo 2 as far as money and loot goes. I think that is blizzard's intention (obviously). It's not like wow where you become accustomed to buying flasks and whatnot from the AH then it gets taken away. All you have to do is not buy anything and it won't affect your experience in any way.

    Think about it. If there was NO AH, would you still play diablo 3? Probably right? So just do that lol.
  1. frott's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by thebum06 View Post
    Uh, the only ones who hate this system are the ones who have no interest in the diablo series anyway. Most diablo fans love it.
    exactly. anyone who's played diablo2 knows the following:

    1. black market sellers plagued non-private games, lobbies, etc. and led to many scams / account issues
    2. glitched items, hacks, bought items. all existed in d2 and didn't effect anyone's play at all.
    3. blizzard should take over the market and give a unified place where the prices can be centralized. IT'S THEIR GAME, THEIR MARKET. it will actually cut down on fraud and account issues.


    it will be interesting to see when the inevitable competition to the "official AH" pops up. My guess is that this actually alleviates a ton of customer support when blizzard doesn't have to deal with trade / $$$ fraud complaints.



    How this will bleed into games like WoW *IS* a huge concern because they are different games. Diablo2 had a metagame of getting "magic find items" that increased your chance of seeing special drops. Being able to flat out purchase that set so you can farm is going to be *a lot more fun* than farming for MF items just to farm WITH MF items. Of course I'd expect those to be more expensive. If you're really into the farm, just don't buy items. Simple.

    In wow, however, as soon as the economy is bypassed with real cash at a much wider scale, the game goes in the toilet for anyone who wants to earn gold their own way. a stack of herbs would be ridiculously expensive since certain locale's real life economies would allow people to sell gold for ridiculously cheap compared to the time it took to gather it. Nobody "enjoys" farming for consumables or whatever, yet it is an integral part of wow.
  1. Butch's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Bluumberry View Post
    EXCEPT for the fact that you're the one who will be losing more money and Blizzard gaining. Don't understand what I'm talking about? Read about how many times Blizzard will make you pay while using this "feature".
    I guess you should read the part about the x auctions per week that are free of any listing charge. You won't be loosing money by selling on the AH unless you put up massive amounts of items per week noone wants.
  1. frott's Avatar
    ps > any competitive diablo3 play is impossible regardless outside of something like a "tournament server" that wow has UNLESS THERE'S A SETTING FOR A CHAR TO NOT ACCEPT TRADES/USE AH. Then isn't the problem solved? Allow characters to be untradable and not use the AH and the "competition" is as good as it can get. "Lol I farmed the most" is just as bad as "Lol I bought items." Everyone with jobs and lives are at a disadvantage to those who can run a dungeon all of their time for weeks, blizzard is just catering to the mass majority of people and not the vocal minority who want their abundance of free time to turn into a distinct advantage over "playing well." But yeah, allow characters to be flagged "non AH / non trade" and there you go.

    ---------- Post added 2011-08-02 at 11:41 AM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by Doylez View Post
    Anyone who has ever played some shitty F2P game where you can buy important items with real money knows that this is not going to end well.
    Do you count diablo2 as a shitty f2p game? outside of the one time box costs, there were no subscription fees. and you could basically buy any item in the game. that seemed to do pretty well!
  1. Butch's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by frott View Post
    ps > any competitive diablo3 play is impossible
    Correct:

    Quote Originally Posted by Jay Wilson View Post
    "Well, we definitely want a PvP mode, we want people to be able to play against and kill one another and that’s a big part of the game, it’s just how e-sport-oriented we want it to be. When people ask me “how balanced is this going to be? Is it going to be balanced for…is it going to be SC-level balanced and perfect?” No, it’s going to be horrifically imbalanced, and that’s part of the fun, to find crazy builds that are all over the place. "

    ...

    "We know people are going to want to turn it into an e-sport but it won’t be from any encouragement from us. The big reason being is that we are never going to allow, or at least over my dead body, the PvP game to wag the tail on game balance. We want the PvE game to rule it. Even the amount that PvP can alter the PvE game in WoW is unacceptable to us. Whenever we run into a case where “this would be really awesome for PvE” and the PvP guys says “ that kind of screw PvP” the answer is always “shut up PvP guy, it’s awesome in PvE”."
    http://www.diablofans.com/topic/2624...s-event-visit/
  1. frott's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by omegatrigun View Post
    Let me explain how it DOES affect me in a very profound way. Ex.: Player decides to buy all of his gear instead of earning it. As a result,
    I'ma let you finish, but nobody cares because in this scenario you're not on a hardcore character so nobody cares, really. Oh noez, someone bought itamz with their non-hardcore player? Nobody...at all...should care. There is very little prestige in Diablo besides the ladder on hardcore, anyone with enough time can grind up on normal.

    Most HC players actually wouldn't mind the sell for cash system. They take pride in what they do. It's not surprising that non-hardcore players are the ones who care about "unfair advantages."

    Spoiler alert: someone getting the best items will likely just keep them if they can use them otherwise they'll sell them and likely spend the cash back into the economy to make their own character better. If there is really that sort of reciprocity and ease of selling you'll be able to sell whatever item for cash/gold (they'll be interchangable basically JUST LIKE THEY ARE NOW IN WOW AND D2) and put it right back into the system.
  1. Skalme's Avatar
    I've posted this in a couple of threads, since this is something folks seem to not think about.

    The problem I have with the cash AH is Taxes.

    Problem 1:
    Like ebay, smaller time players may be ignored, but I'm sure there will be some defined minimum amount or % of income where the phrase "dude, it's just a game" will no longer be an excuse. It may be several hundred dollars or it may be a thousand or more. The point is that the tax man will be there with his hand out because you've got an income that, when combined with the tens of thousands of others that are in a similar boat, will be good revenue for the government.

    Unlike ebay, all the transactions will be recorded at Blizzard. Blizzard is acting as both the facilitator (providing the marketplace) and the broker (money is stored on your battle.net account until you "cash out", but it's still actual cash at Blizzard). So Blizzard will know what was paid, when it was paid and that the buyer did pay and the seller did receive the money. The accurate records make it an attractive target for the government because it means that Blizzard can send tax forms to the players (and the government to make sure the taxes paid square up), and the ease/accuracy also means that the threshold could be lower than what it is on ebay.

    So, you've got potential complicated tax issues for those that want to deal with the cash system.

    And for those outside the US... In Europe, money made from virtual sales won't be treated like online poker (which may or may not be taxed). Second Life players are paying VAT in the EU. Blizzard HQ is in the US, I'm not sure just having a European presence will prevent this. In China real profits in Second Life are also taxed.

    Problem 2:
    To further mess up the issue is the fact that prices on the gold side of the auction house will be set by the cash side of the auction house. If there's any discrepancy between the two then you'll have folks buying one side to sell on the other until they do equalize. This, and direct sales of gold, means that there will be an exchange rate of RL dollars for in game gold. This rate will vary, just like it does in real life for the yen and other currencies.

    This direct exchange opens up the potential for the in-game-item for in-game-currency folks to face the same tax problems as the cash dealers.

    Just like the cash side, the folks that are buying and selling just for themselves may not have to worry because they're not meeting the threshold, but the folks that use the AH to amass loads of in game gold, they might have the IRS knocking at their doors too. Gold could be treated (and taxed) like a barter credit.

    Problem 3:
    Even if the tax on gold as gold doesn't happen, because of the exchange rate, these in game items could very well count as assets and will have an effect on the rest of your financial life because you have the potential of liquidating items/characters for actual cash.


    All of these things could be ignored previously because the real money sale of gold/items in the game wasn't sanctioned by Blizzard and it all existed in a black market.

    Other stuff:
    Players that only accumulate gold through normal play will basically not be able to use the gold AH at all until they come across some rare item that they can sell for a significant amount in order to get what will be required on the AH.


    Everyone saying the game isn't/won't be competitive isn't considering two things. First, e-peen. Second, that real money is now involved. The better your equipment is, the easier time you'll have farming, and the easier time farming, the better your chances of getting items you can then turn around and sell for (more) real money.
  1. mmoc2f3c87b3cb's Avatar
    "Problem 1" I'm not sure why you think it's a problem that people dabbling for small change will be fine but those using it as a genuine source of income might be taxed, this is surely how taxation is supposed to work?

    "Problem 2" Yes, arbitrage and money trading are almost certainly going to be present, and yes it will have costs associated with it. Why is that a problem?

    "Problem 3" is really "Problem 1" in disguise: If you own things of value, then they are your assets. The tax man doesn't care if you have small assets, but if you have $50,000 worth of Stones of Jordan or whatever then you know: maybe they should care about that.

    "Other Stuff" I suppose you're right: people who don't have much money won't be able to buy expensive things! How is this a surprise, or different from any other similar scheme?

    Lastly: nobody is going to be making a decent living farming things to sell, no matter how good their gear is. Sometimes you'll get lucky and get some ultra-rare item to sell, but just as with the AH in WoW or virtually any financial system in the real world: the people making money in amounts anyone will seriously care about will be those playing the other people in the financial system off against each other and reaping the rewards of economies of scale, not the people on the ground actually "making" the stuff.

Site Navigation