There is a lot of confusion about how fighting works, how a winner is declared, etc. Let us hear what Zynga says about it.
How is the winner of a fight determined?
There are many factors that determine who will win in a fight:
1. Crew size
2. The attack or defense power of items used when attacking or defending.
3. The level to which both parties Attack/Defense stats have been improved.
4. The presence of special items in inventory picked up in game play that may provide an attack or defense bonus. Eg: Job mastery items like Pistol Bayonet5. The integration of Casino odds and critical hits which allow for random automatic victories.
There is often much confusion regarding the items used and the way in which they are used. The game will automatically pick the best items for you to use in every combat scenario. For example, when you are attacking, the items in every category - weapons, armor and vehicles - with the best Attack value will be used, this applies to items in the Attack, Defense, and Movement categories. Likewise, when defending against an attack, the game will automatically assign the items with the highest Defense stat in each category.
Meaning: Falsified documents [2 Attack, 30 Defense] are as good as Guerrilla squads [34 Attack, 30 Defense] while defending. However, they get useless when you are attacking.
Meaning: Falsified documents [2 Attack, 30 Defense] are as good as Guerrilla squads [34 Attack, 30 Defense] while defending. However, they get useless when you are attacking.
Items with the same attack or defense value are interchangeable, for example, if item A and item B both have an Attack stat of 1, you might see either one as the game doesn't have a preference as long as the values are equal. If 2 items of the same attack or defense power are present, the one you acquired first is usually chosen. Also, ONLY the attack stat is used when attacking and ONLY the defense stat is used when defending. Contrary to popular belief these stats are not merged, they are indeed independent of one another. 
Another source of confusion is how a larger more equipped crew can be defeated by someone far less "advanced" than they are. Remember, you do not see your opponents' stat allocation or special item attack/defense bonuses, these figures are an integral part of the formula and can serve to significantly strengthen a foe that otherwise appears to be weak.
Victory is not based on how much damage is dealt. It is based on who has the most points - Attack Power Points (yours) VS Defense Power Points (theirs) when attacking and Defense Power Points (yours) VS Attack Power Points (theirs) when attacked.
Damage done is based on a dice roll from 3-27 plus any special items that add to damage. Damage lowers a players Hit Points/Health.
Through favor points and/or stat modification there are many different strategies currently employed by our users to defend or attack players of many different levels and strengths. We invite you to find whichever one works best for you.
Controversy:
Some third party combat calculators and players do not agree with this. They think a higher "[(Attack + Defense) * Mafia] + [Equipment attack + Equipment Defense]" will let you win a fight. This formula takes both attack AND defense values of the equipment you take into a fight.
Meaning: Bodyguards are better in both attack AND defense than falsified docs. (We'll discuss more about this later)
Some third party combat calculators and players do not agree with this. They think a higher "[(Attack + Defense) * Mafia] + [Equipment attack + Equipment Defense]" will let you win a fight. This formula takes both attack AND defense values of the equipment you take into a fight.
Meaning: Bodyguards are better in both attack AND defense than falsified docs. (We'll discuss more about this later)
Exceptions:
Critical hits and bodyguard bonus are two exceptions to this rule. They are random less frequent events that can let a weaker mafia win against a stronger one. These have been included in the game to make it less predictable and maintain a balance.
Critical hits and bodyguard bonus are two exceptions to this rule. They are random less frequent events that can let a weaker mafia win against a stronger one. These have been included in the game to make it less predictable and maintain a balance.
Why did I deal more damage and still lose the fight?
Sometimes when you fight you are assisted by one of your mafia members. One of the assist options when defeated is “take half damage”. This assist option is applied after the winner of the fight is determined.
Example:
• Player A fights Player B.
• Player B wins the fight.
• Player A dealt 15 damage.
• Player B dealt 20 damage.
• Player A was assisted by a friend and took half damage.
• The fight result will display player A lost and was dealt 10 damage.
What is a Sucker Punch?
A sucker punch is a method of attack in Mafia Wars that is always successful however it deals very little damage and results in no experience gain. It can serve to antagonize people however and is a great way to pick a full-fledged fight (if that is what you're looking for).
What does “Mobsters Whacked” mean in my Mafia Wars profile?
"Mobsters whacked" represents the number of times you have "Killed" an opposing mafia member. Whacking occurs then you reduce your opponents' health to 0 when fighting. Since mobsters with health below 20 cannot be attacked this feat is difficult early in game play as damage of 20+ is required to kill a mobster, however it becomes simpler as you build up your mafia and acquire better weaponry.
This is the sum of your hitlist kills and the number of players you snuffed in fights. So, it is always greater than (in almost all cases) or equal to (if you did not snuff any one yet) your 'Hitlist kills' stats.
So, if a player has whacked many more mobsters than his number of deaths, you are better off staying away from him. Same applies to players who hardly got robbed and have high 'Successful Heists'. They are dangerous!
PS : Credit goes to Mafia wars gifts's Notes on FaceBook!
