Fight

Fight Basics
There are three types of Fights:


 * Robbing: Attack a player to damage a property and win a cash bonus. Players are limited to a Mafia size equal to their own level. The Defending player loses no health. Cash reward varies by property type and quantity owned. (1-3 xp per Rob)


 * Hitlist: Attack a player on the hitlist for a bounty. The Defending player loses health even if below 20 and until they are killed. (1-6 xp per Hitlist)


 * Basic Fights: Attack a player. If the player is above 20 health, they take damage and can lose up to $100,000 per attack. If an attacker wins money, they gain $65,000. Defenders below 20 health won't see additional attacks (called Ghost Attacks). (1-6 xp per Attack)

Fighting in Bangkok
When Bangkok's beta released, the option to Fight there wasn't open. That option opened on February 5, 2010.

One unique feature about Bangkok fights is that when you fight one faction, your standing points with that faction goes down by one, and up by two for the other faction.

Old Fight Formula
In August 2009, Zynga updated the Fight Outcome Formula. The old formula used a combined stat formula to determine the outcome of a fight. The old formula was as follows:

COMBAT STRENGTH = (MAFIA * (ATK + DEF Skill Points)) + EQUIPMENT (ATK + DEF Total Value of All Items Used)

This formula weighted your skill points and Mafia size very heavily. Combined with a 501 Mafia, a single skill point was the equivalent of 501 points from Equipment (roughly 8x TNT). The new fight formula dramatically increases the amount of contribution from Equipment relative to Skill Points.

New Fight Formula
While quite a few tests have been done to determine the revised Fight Formula, the exact formula has yet to be determined.

Here are the important things that we CAN tell about the new formula:


 * Zynga no longer combines the Attack+Defense on Equipment. If you are Attacking, only the Attack value of your equipment will be used in your Combat Score. Likewise, when you are Defending, only Defense value will be used.


 * Zynga no longer combines the Attack+Defense score of your Skill Points. Attack is only used for Attacking and Defense is only used for Defending.


 * Equipment value plays a much bigger role in determining the outcome of a fight than with previous formula. Depending on your level, this has been measured from as little as 600% to as much as 8300% more contribution.


 * Skill points become increasingly more important as you progress relative to your overall combat rating. BUT -- due to the Equipment value change -- not nearly as important as under "old" formula.


 * Ties go to the Defender.

Mafia Size
The single biggest contributing factor is Mafia Size. The bigger your mafia, the more fights you can win. So if you don't have a 501 mafia, that's the #1 thing you can do to improve your combat score.

Having a larger Mafia means you can bring more equipment to a Fight. Attack and Defense values from Skill Points also appears to be modified favorably by a larger Mafia.

Rule of thumb is that if your Mafia is bigger, you will win even if you have very few points invested in Attack or Defense.

Diminishing Returns on Equipment
One theory that would explain why Equipment seems to become less valuable as players progress is that it suffers from Diminishing Returns.

The basic idea being that the first 5,000 points from equipment provide more incremental benefit than the next 5,000. In other words, you would expect 10,000 points to be twice as effective as 5,000 points. But due to DR, it may be only 50% more effective.

The net effect is that "skill points" become increasingly more important relative to "equipment" points the more progressed you get in the game.

Mafia Strength


One common misunderstanding is that the Attack and Defense values shown on the Fight page and Inventory pages represent the total Attack (or Defense) value you bring to a fight. In truth, it only represents the value from Equipment.

Zynga describes these values as the total equipped offensive (or defensive) power of everyone in your mafia. Up to 501 mafia members and hired guns help you in fights, each using a weapon, armor, vehicle and animal from your inventory.

In other words, adding 10 skill points to Attack will not raise the value shown in the above image. Adding a new loot item which has 10 more Attack points will raise it by 10 points.

The actual contribution from skill points is a "hidden" value that is not shown to your opponent. If you lose to someone with a lower Mafia Strength, then their hidden value from skill points must be higher than yours.

Investing Skill Points into Attack or Defense
Spending skill points on Attack will make you better at Attacking. Spending points on Defense will make you better at Defending.

Of course, since you CHOOSE who you are attacking, a lot of people would argue that Attack isn't all that important to them (because you can always find someone you can beat and bookmark them).

By contrast, you don't get to decide who attacks you -- particularly if are on the Hitlist a lot. So in that respect, improving your defense means you will WIN more fights that you don't initiate.

Although the other argument is that most players Attack far more frequently than they Defend. Therefore, having more options in who you Attack and what you can do with your Stamina is more helpful.

And finally, there is the school of thought that Attack and Defense don't matter much at all. The idea being that if you find yourself a couple of low Mafia whipping boys to Fight, that you can use your Stamina exclusively on them. You will lose fights initiated against you, but proponents of this strategy would argue that these are few enough and infrequent enough not to worry about.

Ultimately, how YOU want to play is entirely up to YOU. There is no wrong answer.

Rewards
Listed below is the possible rewards for winning a fight:


 * Secret Stash - You have the option to share a reward with a random member of your mafia. You both receive the same three items. This was introduced on December 2009.


 * Double Experience


 * Job Loot - You will receive a random job loot item.


 * Fight Loot - This was introduced on 15 June, 2010.
 * Fight Club Victory Points - 30 July, 2010

Achievements
You can earn 19 Achievements while doing Fights
 * Napoleon Complex - Defeat an enemy with more Mafia
 * Unstoppable - Win 15 fights in a row
 * Bulletproof - Survive 1 hour on the Hitlist
 * The Best Offense ... - Defeat 6 attackers in a row
 * Hitman - Collect a bounty
 * Bounty Hunter - Colelct 50 bounties
 * Set Them Up For Later - Lose 10 fights in a row
 * Brawler - Win 100 fights in a row
 * Ice to Meet You - Ice 20 enemies in fights


 * Everybody Chill - Ice 100 enemies in fights


 * Ice, Ice, Baby - Ice 500 enemies in fights


 * Kick some ice - Ice 1000 enemies in fights


 * Master Slayer - Achieve level 12 in Fight Mastery
 * Master killer - Achieve level 15 in Fight Mastery
 * Master Executioner - Achieve level 18 in Fight Mastery
 * Master Assassin - Ahieve level 21 in Fight Mastery
 * Like a Hurrican - Win 1000 fights in Cuba
 * Brothers Icing Brothers - Ice 250 enemies in fights in Las Vegas
 * Mobile Hit - Fight someone with Mafia Wars Mobile