The Wishlist Police

Today we have a riddle - and discussion about a recent Mafia Wars development - best read while listening to a standout track from Pearl Jam's 1999 album, Yield, entitled... WISHLIST.


Here's the riddle. What do these items:


have in common with THESE items?
If you answered, "They are all drop Loot from Las Vegas," you are right... so far.

Now what do the items above have in common with THESE items?
Many of these items are NOT from Vegas - one is from Dublin and others are from the new Declare War or Secret Mission features. But what do they have in common, besides being impressive-stat Loot items?
Need another clue? Here are a couple more items - from the new levels of the Chop Shop and Weapons Depot - that have something in common with everything above:

Give up? Here's a screen shot that essentially answers this riddle, that is, what all of the above items have in common. Which of these items does NOT belong with the ones above?


The Special Part fits with the group above, whilethe Micro-Fission Cell does not. Why? Notice how you CANNOT gift, or add to your Wishlist, the Special Parts (needed for upper level Chop Shop and Weapons Depot items) but CAN trade the Micro-Fission Cell (used in the Armory)?

Why can't you put the high-end Vegas loot and the even better items that are dropping from missions and wars on your Wishlist? This phenomenon didn't start with Las Vegas items - even a Bangkok fight loot drop item - the Rhinoceros (54 defense) - can't be gifted or put on your Wishlist.


And here's why: I refer to this issue as the Wishlist Police. Just outside of Mafia Wars, all across Facebook and the Internet, are groups and sites dedicated to trading, buying, and selling Mafia Wars Loot and Collections items. (Full disclosure: one is a sponsor of this blog and, like Zynga, has every right to compete in the open market).

Some of this you can do right on Mafia Wars while instant messaging with a Mafia buddy. "Can you send me a Rivet? I'll send you back a Hammer." But other trades are more voluminous, or can't be done through deals with friends. Got an extra City Belt? Trade it for a 150 assorted Weapons Depot upgrades.



At some point, Zynga realized that if an item can be put on your Wishlist, or sent as a gift, it can also be traded or sold. Some one at a high level could get 501 Dreacht Capalls and 501 of every top attack and defense Weapon, Armor, Vehicle, and Animal, and be unbeatable. Railguns, Chain Vipers, and Hunters would be worthless if people could trade Black Irishes, Dreacht Capalls, and Ballista Missile Launchers. You'd have players with near-200,000-level attack and defense stats.



Some one call the Wishlist Police!

From one perspective, the prohibition on being able to Wishlist - and trade - high-end loot is a good thing - it evens the playing field so that a Plasma Rifles and Mugati (items that even beginning-level players can obtain) still have meaning in the game.

On the other hand, it is Zynga's attempt at gaming-socialism, making sure that no one gets too far ahead or fall too far behind. I'm not opposed to socialism in all forms, but Mafia Wars IS a competitive game where the goal is to get to higher levels, harder jobs, and bigger rewards. So what's with the guiding hand?

I think the answer has little to do with Zynga's concern about players falling behind or getting ahead, and more (everything) to do with Zynga realizing that it has to impede the trading boards and selling sites if it wants players to purchase Reward Points and high-end items from Zynga.


Otherwise, no one is going to use Reward Points to get an item like the one above, or buy Reward Points to be able to afford those items, if you can simply trade your Roulette Wheel or City Belt or Mountain Lion for an item with a 60+ attack.

What are your thoughts on the Wishlist Police?


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The Wishlist Elite Eight

If the last entry on The Wishlist Police was a downer, focus on the best items you CAN get on your Wishlist... and get as many of them as possible. Put them on your Wishlist and occasionally a Red Mystery Bag will deliver one, or a Mafia member you've helped in a war or mission will throw one your way.

Here are your Wishlist Elite Eight, broken down by category:

WEAPONS: Railgun (Weapons Depot) and Titanium Katar (Bangkok Ep. 7)


VEHICLES: Hunter 'Spy' XS (Chop Shop) and Mugati Sport (Chop Shop)



ARMOR: Ninja (Bangkok Ep. 6) and Royal Thai Marine (Bangkok Ep. 7)


None of the items from the Armory can be on your Wishlist, gifted, or traded. You can purchase better Armor in the Bangkok Faction Store with the Yakuza Assassin (50 attack) and Shaolin Bodyguard (51 defense).

ANIMALS: Chain Viper (Bangkok Ep. 7) and the Forest Scorpion (Bangkok Ep. 4).



You can purchase better Animals on attack and defense in the Bangkok Faction Store, with the Banded Krait (51 attack) and the Xiamen Tiger (52 defense)... and the Rhinoceros (54 defense) drops randomly from fights in Bangkok.


(There had been mention of an Animal Factory, to round out the Chop Shop, Weapons Depot, and Armory... but I shudder to think of what PARTS we would be collecting to build these super Animals).
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Fittingly enough, five of the Wishlist Elite Eight drop from Bangkok jobs, as the Wishlist Police arrived just as the Las Vegas loot was getting good. Fortunately, as you do jobs in Bangkok to obtain these items, you will earn the millions of Thai Baht (B$) necessary to purchase even better items from the Faction Store.


You should collect as many of these items as possible so that they become your LOWEST ranking loot in your top 501 in each category (especially the 5 that you can obtain from Bangkok jobs). The high end loot from Boss fights, Secret Missions, Declare War, Las Vegas, Dublin, and completed episodes from Cuba, Moscow, and Bangkok will be near the top.


Little by little, building the new, higher-level items in your Chop Shop, Weapons Depot, and Armory will round out the middle. (You can always check your top 501 attack items in each category by clicking the "Show All Items Used" link at the bottom of the screen after a fight in any city):While the drop Loot from Vegas Districts 6, 7, and 8 have better stats, and the jobs have a higher XP:Energy ratio, the Bangkok drop Loot has a much better drop rate. If you stayed on Bronze or Silver level in Vegas 6, 7, and/or 8 (as a wise blogger once suggested), you should load up on THOSE items instead of Bangkok items. But if you're done/almost done Vegas, make sure you round out your arsenal with the Bangkok drop loot.
If you have 501 Mafia members (and you should...), a reasonable goal is to get enough of the Elite Eight so that your Mafia's Attack and Defense numbers - without the Skill Point add-on -reaches 100,000.

I suspect once we arrive in Italy later this month, those numbers will get higher...


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The Wishlist Elite Eight, Pt 2

Just 9 days ago, before the Mafia Wars loot availability was turned on its head, I posted the 8 best items, in terms of stats, that you could put in your Wishlist - two Weapons, Armor, Vehicles, and Animals apiece - with the best attack and defensive stats.

These were the original Wishlist Elite Eight. You can see the original post at:
http://www.the-mafia-wars-guide.com/2010/10/wishlist-elite-eight.html

Ahhhh, the good old days when we were young. LAST WEEK. With the ability to Wishlist all Las Vegas loot, the Elite Eight needs to be updated with eight completely different items - all from Vegas. Again, these are the best items (two from each category) THAT YOU CAN PUT ON YOUR WISHLIST, in terms of attack and defense stats, one from each loot category.

Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present Part 2 of the Wishlist Elite Eight, and which Las Vegas District(s) you can find these treasures:

VEHICLES: Ballista Missile Launcher (District 8) and Foo Fighter (District 7)



ARMOR: Reinhardt and Otto (District 6) and Cooling Vest (District 8)



WEAPONS: Arcturion Assault Rifle (District 8) and Range Finder Rifle (Districts 5 + 6)

ANIMALS: Diamondback (Districts 6 + 7) and Bighorn (District 8)

Note that only four of the Elite Eight are located in District 8 (Hoover Dam).
Three others can be found in District 6, with lower job energy costs. The risk in hunting for loot in District 6 is that you will usually get the relatively inferior Police Riot Helmet (30/44) or Performance Sports Car (47/38). The Reinhardt and Otto is the toughest drop in District 6.

Two others are in District 7, with one available in District 5 (again, the likelihood is you will get many drops other than the Range Finder Rifle there).

The Range Finder Rifle, by the way, has started showing up in Stashes found while doing jobs, and can be shared with 5 of your fastest-on-the-mouse Mafia through your Facebook news feed. I look forward to seeing higher level Vegas items make their way into these stashes, especially to give MW players who haven't reached the top Vegas levels the chance to own some of the top loot.

I suspect we will someday see a Part 3 of the Wishlist Elite 8 after loot from the top levels of upcoming Italy are allowed to be wishlisted.

Coming soon... the Wishlist Final Four - my choice for the single best Weapon, Armor, Vehicle, and Animals to stock up on... at least one of which is NOT in the Wishlist Elite Eight.

"How can that be???" you ask, jaw hitting the floor. "That would be like Seton Hall suddenly replacing Duke in the NCAA tournament!" I'll give you a hint: Colin gave us the answer in July - before there even WAS an Elite Eight. Stay tuned, faithful readers. It will all make sense.

In the meantime, get some of the items above on your Wishlist for trades, gifts, and Mystery Bags.

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Wishlist Loot: The Final Four

Once Las Vegas loot could go to your Wishlist, 8 drop items - known as the Wishlist Elite Eight - were elevated to the top of the class in terms of attack and defense stats, as reviewed in this recent post.

A long standing debate involves whether the better strategy in collecting loot is:

[1] Build up your overall attack and defense stats, into the 110,000+ range by getting 501 of every item on the Elite Eight (or a few less, since some boss and challenge items from each category have higher stats)...

[2] ...or building up your "core" stats by getting 501 of the four items (one Weapon, one Armor, one Vehicle, and one Animal) that have the most COMBINED attack and defense stats. Colin did an excellent analysis of what it takes to win the Vegas tournaments in this post.

If you subscribe to theory [2], then this post's for you. The Wishlist Final Four are the best COMBINED-STAT items in each category, which are:

*Vehicle*

Honorable Mention: Goldsmobile (95), Day Rider 2K (95)

*Weapon*

Honorable Mention: Ripper Assault Rifle (87), Plasma Rifle (87), Arcturion Assault Rifle (86)

*Armor*

Honorable Mention: Cooling Vest (92), Ares Power Armor (91)

*Animal*

Honorable Mention: Bighorn (90), Gila Monster (84)
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Given that the Wishlist Final Four are all part of the Elite Eight, it's not like you have to choose one set of items of the other. It's a question of which items you are trying to get the most of, if you trade or put on your Wishlist.

And the answer, truly depends on whether you are a fighter or a boxer - that is, whether you use your stats in the fights available in each city, to collect Victory Coins, Fight Club levels, and drop loot, or whether you use your stats in the Vegas fighting tournaments every four hours to collect belts, rings, trophies, drop loot - and the best available Stamina:XP ratio in the game (more on this in a future post).

Of course, you can do both. But if you are focused on winning the Vegas fight tournaments, especially the Heavyweight tournament, then loading up on Ballista Missile Launchers at the expense of other vehicles - is actually going to hold you back. Why? Because the 62 attack is coupled with a paltry 17 defense, for 79 points.

For combined stats, the Ballista - which is the least frequent drop in District 8 - is actually the WORST vehicle in high-level Vegas. You're better off with the Foo Fighter (96), Goldsmobile (95), X-22 Peregrine (87) Performance Sports Car (85), or Amphiquad (82). None of these Vehicles have the most attack or defense points - but all have better combined stats than the Vehicle with the best attack stat.

Food for thought...

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Wishlist Bug?

Hayden sent me this email.. He would like to know about the wishlist bug that he has seen..
How does one get this item onto their wishlist?
Share please! :)
(Peter sent it this info to me!)