Diablo 3 auction houses, global play detailed

Many MMOs have utilized auction houses to help players generate in-game income. Now, Blizzard has taken the wraps off its new auction house format for Diablo III that will allow players to generate both in-game income and real-world cash.

A comprehensive FAQ tells players all about the marketplace. Players will be able to choose which type of auction house they want to use, but the game will choose the appropriate auction house for real-world cash sales.

A step-by-step guide tells players how to use the system to buy and sell items they acquire. The real-world cash auction house will allow PayPal, credit card and Battle.net Balance transactions.

The in-game cash auction house will launch with the game on May 15. The auction house for real-world money is expected to launch a week later to ensure the system is running smoothly.

Blizzard also announced that Diablo 3 players will be able to play with friends around the world with few restrictions. The global servers are divided into three groups for The Americas (which also include new Zealand, Australia and Southeast Asia), Europe (including Russia, the Middle East and the United Arab Emirates), and Asia (covering South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Makau). The players will create characters on servers in their home region, based on where they live, but they can switch to other regions before or after they log in. Action houses, however, will only be accessible on in the player's home region.