I Love New York (Targeted Robbing, Pt 1)

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I like New York better than any other city for robbing. Tonight I will unveil why, in the context of a 3-part series about Targeted Robbing - an option in Mafia Wars to rob the Properties of one individual, rather than the general properties thrown up on the screen for you when you click Robbing (Steal From Properties).

If this technique does not sound familiar, I encourage you to read this somewhat lengthy post (and the two shorter posts that will follow). Targeted Robbing will improve your stats, Loot, efficiency, and leveling strategy.
I Love New York - an obscure ad campaign from the late 1970s - is back with a bang in terms of Mafia Wars robbing because only in New York can you obtain extra Armor Parts and Weapons Parts (and Car Parts) for your Armory, Weapons Depot, and Chop Shop. With the new levels of each, you can't afford to build top items just on the amounts you get each day from your Property.

YOU NEED TO STEAL MORE!


One way to do that in New York is just to rob entire boards (getting the occasional Armory, Weapons Depot, or Chop Shop - and using a Burner if you fail), or robbing just those Properties and spending the 7, 8, or 9 Stamina points to get to the next Board once there are no Armories, Chop Shops, or Weapons Depots left to rob:
A more effective way - in some respects - is Targeted Robbing. Many players already know of and use the Targeted Robbing strategy to amass hundreds of extra Weapons Parts and Armor Parts without blowing through hundreds of Stamina points looking for the right Property. Read on if you don't know this trick...

SETTING UP FOR TARGETED ROBBING: On the main Robbing/Properties screen, you are looking for an Armory or Weapons Depot at EASY level. On the board below, there is an EASY level Armory in the upper right:

Click ROB and see how you fare:


If you rob that property successfully, AND notice a large disparity in your attack score versus the property owner's defense (above, it's about 18,000 to 11,000), OR see that the player is many levels beneath you (the one above is Level 608; I am about 1,300) - it's a good sign that Targeted Robbing MAY work here.

Why? Because (1) the Property itself is likely ready to be robbed, since it's up there on the main Robbing/Properties screen; (2) even if you both have 501 Mafia members, you are *likely* to beat a player of a much lower level, just like you would in a fight; and therefore (3) you have a good chance (NOT a guarantee) of winning successive robberies of the same property.

(Note: if a robbing attack or defense boost was used, put your mouse over the player's picture to see what level he or she is).

HOW TO START TARGETED ROBBING: Click on the player's name or picture in the square above of the Property you robbed. That will bring up the enemy's Wishlist... and a ROB option:


Once you click Rob, you will see this individual player's Properties - and you will learn which ones you can rob. The phrase "Targeted Robbing" is shorthand for robbing ONE PLAYER'S properties, rather than robbing whatever properties are thrown up on the 9-part Board you initially get under Robbing (Steal From Properties).

The most important thing about Targeted Robbing is knowing WHICH Properties you can rob. Unlike the main Robbing/Steal from Properties board, where all 9 properties are eligible to be robbed, the same is not true in Targeted Robbing.

RULE: You can only rob those properties that have a colored bar under them. If you see a red timer (or police tape), you cannot rob that property now. In the board below, you could NOT rob the Pawnshop or Tenement (timer) or the Armory (police tape). You CAN rob every other property.



If you keep robbing the Weapons Depot and hitting Refresh each time, you will compile a bunch of Weapons Parts at 11 Stamina apiece. No need to waste stamina going to new boards looking for new Weapons Depots (or Armories). Once you've found an easy Armory or Weapons Depot, the Targeted Robbing lets you focus your Stamina on robbing that property for as many parts as are available.

The meter will go from blue to green to yellow to red as you deplete the property of its parts:


Once you've fully robbed the property, you will see the police tape:

At that point, you can click your main Fight button, go back to Robbing (Steal From Properties) and search out another victim for some Targeted Robbing.

Remember the rule that you CANNOT rob Properties with timers or police tape under them. Why? In the first instance, the timer means that the Property has not created its cash/part such that the owner of the Property himself can collect it. If I have a Property that I can't collect from for another 8 hours, you can't rob that Property UNTIL THAT TIME IS UP AND I HAVE LEFT IT FULL AND UNCOLLECTED.

(This is a good, recent change - it used to be you could do Targeted Robbing on ANY Property to some degree, which was frustrating if you owned that Property - as you watched it being robbed BEFORE you could even get your goods out of it).

As for police tape, you can't rob that property because... it's already been robbed. So in the board below, only ONE of the 12 Properties can be robbed: the Dockyard.



The proof is in the pudding. If you click Rob on all 12 properties, this is what you'll see:



It doesn't cost you any Stamina to click on a Property that has a timer - you'll just get the police tape.

THREE IMPORTANT CAVEATS ABOUT TARGETED ROBBING:
(1) You can't use Burners when your robbery fails in Targeted Robbing. If you are losing a high percentage of robberies on a given Property, pick a new target from the main screen.

(2) Targeted Robbing has a VERY low Stamina:XP ratio. For Armories, you will use 15 Stamina to get 19 or 20 XP (as opposed to the main board, where you might get 35 XP). For Weapons Depots, you will use 10 Stamina to get 11 or 12 XP, rather than the 25 or so on the main board.

(3) Chop Shops are not ideal for Targeted Robbing. On the main Robbing (Steal from Properties) board, you will get between 1 and 5 Car Parts for your 10 Stamina Points, and 20 - 25 XP. In Targeted Robbing, you will likely get 1 Car Part... and the much lower XP ratio.
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But you can gain a WEALTH of Weapons Parts and Armory Parts this way, while spending less Stamina flipping through the main boards looking for an Easy Armory or Weapons Depot.
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Some readers are likely asking, "Why isn't Bangkok better for Targeted Robbing, since you can get endless Baht there, to spend in the Faction Store?" This topic is addressed in Part 3 of the Targeted Robbing series.

Stay tuned...



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Diamonds Are Forever (Targeted Robbing, Pt 2)

If you made it through Part 1 of the Targeted Robbing series ("I Love New York"), this shorter installment will provide both a cautionary tale *and* a crucial strategy tip to help you use Target Robbing NOT ONLY to rack up Armor Parts and Weapons Parts, BUT ALSO to maximize the benefit you get from your daily Energy Pack.

But first, MOVIE POSTERS!

Shortly before the mid-70s 'I Love New York campaign ad' rolled out, with its unforgettably cheesy music, the 7th James Bond film was released (also with a certain amount of camp... it WAS the 70s, after all):
Personally, I was a Roger Moore fan - probably because I was still in diapers when this movie was released. But back to Mafia Wars...

Part 2 of the Targeted Robbing series highlights something you CANNOT accomplish with this strategy, whether in New York, Bangkok, or even in future Italy - and that is, finish this premium Mafia Wars collection:
Targeted Robbing will NOT get you any closer to completing the Diamond Collection.Diamonds only drop when you finish robbing all 9 properties on the main Rob From Properties board. While you don't need to go 9-0 to get a Diamond, they are an exceedingly rare board completion loot (and some - like the Regent - are rarer than others).

Targeted Robbing & Energy Packs: A Strategy Tip: Remembering that Targeted Robbing gives you a very low Stamina:XP ratio, Targeted Robbing is probably best done just BEFORE you are about to use an Energy Pack - when you are 3,000 XP shy of the next level, and want to use your remaining 800 Stamina - but not so much so that you come in just a few hundred XP shy of leveling up after using your Energy Pack.

Targeted Robbing makes your leveling strategy more efficient: If you use your remaining Stamina on Targeted Robbing just *before* you use your daily Energy Pack, the Stamina:XP works in your favor, because you will get to use that much MORE Energy from your energy pack on jobs BEFORE you level up again and replenish your Energy (and Stamina) anew.

Up next: Targeted Robbing in Bangkok...


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One Night in Bangkok (Targeted Robbing, Pt 3)

The third and final part of the Targeted Robbing series, which began last week, was always intended to focus on Bangkok. Developments in Las Vegas this week - the ability to trade/gift/Wishlist all the drop loot from that city - has added a twist, addressed at the end of this post.

If you missed Parts 1 and 2 of the Targeted Robbing series, you can read them at:
http://www.the-mafia-wars-guide.com/2010/10/i-love-new-york-targeted-robbing-pt-1.html
and
http://www.the-mafia-wars-guide.com/2010/10/diamonds-are-forever-targeted-robbing_11.html

Even before the changes in Las Vegas loot over the past few days, I had orignally intended to argue that Targeted Robbing is impractical in Bangkok.

Why? Because there is only one Property worth robbing - the Gambling Den. On the main robbing board you can get about B$15,000 for each den. When you go to Targeted Robbing on that player - IF THE PROPERTY CAN BE ROBBED - you can get B$9,500 per successful robbery.
But...the Gambling Den usually can't be robbed - through normal robbing OR Targeted Robbing. Scroll through some 9-Property boards in Bangkok on the Robbing/Steal From Properties screen and see how often the Gambling Den appears.

In New York, by contrast, you usually see either an Armory, Weapons Depot, or Chop Shop (or more than one)... signalling Targeted Robbing MAY be available.

Why is the Gambling Den harder to find on the main board, and - when you commence Targeted Robbing on that property - even harder to find with the meter showing that it's available to be robbed? Because Gambling Dens take 72 hours to refill - and if you don't hit it at the right time, you have to wait. Remember - you have to wait until the Property owner can collect on the Gambling Den - and doesn't - before you can ransack it through Targeted Robbing.

So more often than not, even if you hit a Gambling Den on the main board, you get this in the Targeted Robbing board:

Because of the 72 hour rule, you'll be spending a lot of Stamina just flipping through screens to FIND a Gambling Den, and spending more time finding one you can use for Targeted Robbing. By contrast, the Armory, Weapons Depot, and Chop Shop have 24 hour waiting periods - so there are 3x as many worthwhile properties in New York, with 1/3 the waiting period. Sounds like New York is a 9x better proposition for Targeted Robbing.

Back to Bangkok. When you finally find a Gambling Den that you can rob, consider this: At 15 stamina points apiece, and some losses along the way, Targeted Robbing of Gambling Dens never added up to a lot of Baht - when you need B$550,000 to get one Xiamen Tiger. Even the other top Faction Store items are EXPENSIVE.

The three items in the Faction Store still worth getting:




These items, however, are diminishing in value with the new ability to get high-end Vegas loot on your Wishlist, in trades, and from Mystery Bags. Slowly but surely, even these items will drop in your top 501 as you load up on Otto & Reinhardts (57 attack Armor), Cooling Vests (61 defense Armor), and Bighorns (64 defense Animal).

I had a different plan of action proposed when I set out last week to discuss Targeted Robbing. The ability to put Vegas loot on your Wishlist has changed that dramatically.

My proposal - and the course of action I've already taken - is:
1. Sell ALL of your Bankgok inventory (the weapons, armor, etc. that you had to buy to do jobs)
2. Buy as many Xiamen Tigers as you can afford
3. Let the income from your Properties accumulate and buy Xiamen Tigers as you go

It no longer makes sense to do jobs in Bangkok (unless you are finishing the city, of course), as the drop loot is far inferior to what's available - and giftable - in Las Vegas.

And Targeted Robbing was always impractical there since the one property worth robbing - the Gambling Den - has a 72 hour "gestation period" - and when you get all that Baht, you no longer be buying a top-tier Animal or Armor piece.

My original advice for Bangkok and Targeted Robbing was going to be "Stick with New York" - hence the "I Love New York" plug. I *was* going to propose that you do most of your FIGHTING in Bangkok, since the drop Loot - including Rhinoceros and Cougar - were among the best Animals. Again, Las Vegas developments have made that no longer true.

Now, Bangkok is nearly as dead as Moscow and Cuba in terms of loot. So if you have One Night in Bangkok, it may be your LAST night in Bangkok. (Don't forget to check your Properties regularly though...)

Bonus points for those who remember the #3 hit from Murray Head in 1984, "One Night in Bangkok" from the Broadway musical CHESS.


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