It's Raining Loot

Before I post the Las Vegas District 7 and 8 loot - and some observations about Zynga (pro and con) - have you noticed a SERIOUS upswing in the loot that (i) your friends are finding and sharing and (ii) that you can find on jobs, when you get your choice of three items to choose from and share the one you pick? I don't mean the Secret Stashes, where you notify a friend, or vice versa, and you get - or never get - an item. I mean the screen where, after you do a job, you are shown three items and can pick one, and share it (the flip side being, on your friend feed, it would say "Kill Screen Philly has found a stash of stash of .22 Pistols! Hurry, there are only five remaining." And you'd think, gee, thanks for SHARING your 2-attack weapon.
A week ago, I was turning away the entire panel of Lucky Shamrock Medallions, Armored Car, and Pair of Brass Knuckles - useful on the earliest levels of New York only, and a waste of newsfeed for all to share. Even when I selected a consumable, like an Untraceable Cell or a Buzzsaw hoping to gift them later, I wouldn't share - didn't want to clog my newsfeed with low-level consumables.
Then... BAM... one day I saw a Plasma Rifle (40, 47) as one of my choices. THE Plasma Rifle? The top level Weapons Depot build? Yep (but, as with a trade, without the attendant 5 defense points). All of a sudden I was seeing Day 2K Riders. Then...various Easter Eggs. St. Patrick's Day items, and Soccer Balls from collections long gone. A friend posted a stash of... RAILGUNS. It was like a dream you'd have about Mafia Wars stashes on steroids.
Seems that Zynga - in different ways - is breathing some life into a part of the game that had become all but useless for higher level players. Granted, one Plasma Rifle is not going to have you winning the Heavyweight World Championship - but the stash is certainly worth sharing so that newer player can get an item they might not yet have built their Chop Shops or Weapons Depots high enough to build themselves (and let me know when you are so high and mighty that you don't need Plasma Rifles... oh.... you've been playing Vegas District 8, I see!). Still, in any socila media game, it's always a nice - and smart - move to do something that motivates newer players yet doesn't punish the elders.
And bringing back the old collections - St. Patrick's Day, Easter Eggs, and Soccer Balls? A great move, for those who didn't finish those time-limited collection.... and for those who did and now have good trade lots. Not sure that all 7 of each collection will be available, but it gives players more incentive to work towards completing a collection they've missed - even if only for completion's sake. MW had briefly made one of the Valentine's Day items a free giveaway, but this is like bringing the live collection back... and giving you reason to play anew.
My verdict on the new high-level item "stash" drops from jobs? Thumbs up.
-Phil

View the Original article