Concerns about RMAH.

Vallista

I have some questions or maybe concerns about RMAH Blizzard will implement for Diablo 3. From what I read, Blizzard will charge a flat fee for posting and finalizing an auction for each item. If I'm wrong about this please someone correct me. I also understand this will be between players. My biggest red flag question has nothing to do with the RMAH but has more to do with Blizzard. I have this feeling that Blizzard at some point will dip their hands in start to create auctions that will compete with real players.  Anyone believe that Blizzard will stay out RMAH themselves? I'm thinking not, at some point when the game been out for a while, will they start to create auctions?  What is really stopping them?  As I've learned the sellers will be anonymous, leaving them with the window to do so.  Which could undermine the feature.  How will know if your bidding on an auction by a player or not?  And even if Blizzard doesn't directlly inject items to the auction, they'll most likely hire a third party to do the auctions.  Looking at their other major title World of Warcraft, they did sell mounts, pets, and other items, I know those items didn't give a player advange. It's not out of the realm that they wouldn't do the same thing with Diablo 3. I don't really know if the diablo community as a whole supports this or not. I will stay that in my opinion that diablo 3 is looking more like a pay to win system game than anything else. I can't be the only one thinking that Blizzard won't at some point inject auctions of their own to make more money right?

Kabaal

I imagine they will have to follow the same laws as companies such as Ebay have to, they are afterall providing the same service.

expresso

Originally posted by Vallista

I have some questions or maybe concerns about RMAH Blizzard will implement for Diablo 3. From what I read, Blizzard will charge a flat fee for posting and finalizing an auction for each item. If I'm wrong about this please someone correct me. I also understand this will be between players. My biggest red flag question has nothing to do with the RMAH but has more to do with Blizzard. I have this feeling that Blizzard at some point will dip their hands in start to create auctions that will compete with real players.  Anyone believe that Blizzard will stay out RMAH themselves? I'm thinking not, at some point when the game been out for a while, will they start to create auctions?  What is really stopping them?  As I've learned the sellers will be anonymous, leaving them with the window to do so.  Which could undermine the feature.  How will know if your bidding on an auction by a player or not?  And even if Blizzard doesn't directlly inject items to the auction, they'll most likely hire a third party to do the auctions.  Looking at their other major title World of Warcraft, they did sell mounts, pets, and other items, I know those items didn't give a player advange. It's not out of the realm that they wouldn't do the same thing with Diablo 3. I don't really know if the diablo community as a whole supports this or not. I will stay that in my opinion that diablo 3 is looking more like a pay to win system game than anything else. I can't be the only one thinking that Blizzard won't at some point inject auctions of their own to make more money right?

 Yes Blizzard are an evil coorperation, they have planned this from day one, they don't care about their players only about the $ signs, they have strapped james bond to a table and the lazer is almost at his nads... world domination is almost in their grasp.  now lets move on.

Vallista

Originally posted by expresso

Originally posted by Vallista

I have some questions or maybe concerns about RMAH Blizzard will implement for Diablo 3. From what I read, Blizzard will charge a flat fee for posting and finalizing an auction for each item. If I'm wrong about this please someone correct me. I also understand this will be between players. My biggest red flag question has nothing to do with the RMAH but has more to do with Blizzard. I have this feeling that Blizzard at some point will dip their hands in start to create auctions that will compete with real players.  Anyone believe that Blizzard will stay out RMAH themselves? I'm thinking not, at some point when the game been out for a while, will they start to create auctions?  What is really stopping them?  As I've learned the sellers will be anonymous, leaving them with the window to do so.  Which could undermine the feature.  How will know if your bidding on an auction by a player or not?  And even if Blizzard doesn't directlly inject items to the auction, they'll most likely hire a third party to do the auctions.  Looking at their other major title World of Warcraft, they did sell mounts, pets, and other items, I know those items didn't give a player advange. It's not out of the realm that they wouldn't do the same thing with Diablo 3. I don't really know if the diablo community as a whole supports this or not. I will stay that in my opinion that diablo 3 is looking more like a pay to win system game than anything else. I can't be the only one thinking that Blizzard won't at some point inject auctions of their own to make more money right?

 Yes Blizzard are an evil coorperation, they have planned this from day one, they don't care about their players only about the $ signs, they have strapped james bond to a table and the lazer is almost at his nads... world domination is almost in their grasp.  now lets move on.

I'm not calling Blizzard evil or suggesting they make bad games.  I'm not allow to ask question about a feature? 

Vallista

Originally posted by Kabaal

I imagine they will have to follow the same laws as companies such as Ebay have to, they are afterall providing the same service.

You think?  I'm not sure or saying that they won't legally.  Couldn't Blizzard consider it DLC and have a legal pass?  I don't know I'm just asking questions.  I could only imagation that Blizzard wouldn't consider a feature like this without all of the ins and outs.  Couldn't they legally consider items digital content and inject items?  Most EULA agreements do state that at anytime they can change the content without notice.  I'm just asking.

StonesDK

Originally posted by Vallista

I have some questions or maybe concerns about RMAH Blizzard will implement for Diablo 3. From what I read, Blizzard will charge a flat fee for posting and finalizing an auction for each item. If I'm wrong about this please someone correct me. I also understand this will be between players. My biggest red flag question has nothing to do with the RMAH but has more to do with Blizzard. I have this feeling that Blizzard at some point will dip their hands in start to create auctions that will compete with real players.  Anyone believe that Blizzard will stay out RMAH themselves? I'm thinking not, at some point when the game been out for a while, will they start to create auctions?  What is really stopping them?  As I've learned the sellers will be anonymous, leaving them with the window to do so.  Which could undermine the feature.  How will know if your bidding on an auction by a player or not?  And even if Blizzard doesn't directlly inject items to the auction, they'll most likely hire a third party to do the auctions.  Looking at their other major title World of Warcraft, they did sell mounts, pets, and other items, I know those items didn't give a player advange. It's not out of the realm that they wouldn't do the same thing with Diablo 3. I don't really know if the diablo community as a whole supports this or not. I will stay that in my opinion that diablo 3 is looking more like a pay to win system game than anything else. I can't be the only one thinking that Blizzard won't at some point inject auctions of their own to make more money right?

 They don't even have to create ghost auctioneers.

 

 

They can easily manipulate the market by increasing/decreasing certain sought after items which will effectively increase sales on the auction house, thus increase the frequency of the fees.

 

I'll make up a scenario.

Blizzard develops a crafting recipy that takes 5 gems of pwnage. the recipy creates a parchment that will permanently increase a stat. You can use lets say a max of 10 parchments.

What blizzard can do to increase auctions of those gems is by manipulate drop rates or even add several recipies that takes same or different gems.

That's just one way out of many ways Blizzard can manipulate the market. All it takes is a patch.

Omali

This was discussed on the Giant Bomb bombcast, and Blizzard's reaction was essentially "We already have enough money, we won't be injecting or removing anything from the RMAH." The take from the sale is a method to prevent people from simply flinging as much stuff as they can to see what sticks and overloading the auction house servers. To give incentive, however, there will be a small number of free auctions a player can post per week.

It's worth noting that you can't hoard money and then claim it. Say you sell a rare weapon for $10, you can't store that until you get more money, you have to decide there on the spot whether to put that into your account, use it towards a WoW subscription, or cash out. The fee on cashing out is to pay a third party company to process it.

StonesDK

Heck It wouldn't even surprise me if it came out Blizzard excluded offline mode just because of the "planned" AH. Even If the AH is voluntary it's pretty effective as a temptation when people have no choice but to play online with server side stored characters

SlyGamer79

This whole issue is kind of iffy to me because what about the fees for placing items on the AH are we gonna have to pay for that ? or does that only happen when the item sells because i've had plenty of items on AH in other games that don't sell for whatever reason and i spent more in game money on deposits and whatnot then much else.