Mafia Wars Armory: Everything you need to know

The Mafia Wars Armory has arrived, as Zynga promised earlier this week. The Armory is a new New York Property that can be upgraded 10 times, can be harvested for cash every 24 hours and, most importantly, can be used to make different types of weapons.

mafia wars armory mafia wars armory

Like the Chop Shop and Weapons Depot, you will need to collect building materials -- either by purchasing them for Reward Points or asking mafia members to send them to you via a Facebook Wall post (and in their Player Updates). NOTE: These parts will not drop as loot when robbing, fighting or doing jobs.

To upgrade your armory one level you will need the following:

    Hammer - 5
    Rivet -5
    Furnace - 5
    Vice - 5
    Anvil - 5

mafia wars armory building materials

As you level up, the items you create will be more powerful. Now --- for the best part of the armory -- crafting items.
You will collect armory items while doing jobs, fighting and robbing. Then, every 24 hours, you can use those parts to craft a new weapon. Select 'Build' under the type of item you want to create, you'll have a new weapon to add to your arsenal.

mafia wars armory

We're working on a complete list of items that you can make in your Armory -- stay tuned. My first build gave me this
Pair of Ocular Implants (so Star Trek, don't you think?) with 25 Attack, 26 Defense.

mafia wars armory ocular implants

Mafia Wars helps two players find love through Facebook gaming

In today's adorable news, Zynga's Mafia Wars has brought together two players in a lovestruck romance that has led the gang-busting couple to join in holy matrimony today. The couple, John Sweeney and Joanne Doan, met through a Mafia Wars clan in March 2009 called Mafia Wars Dark Angels in which a heated clan war brought the smitten web-mobsters closer together, according to Sweeney.

The resultant long-distance relationship only lasted through the holiday season before neither could take being apart anymore, leading Sweeney to move in with his beloved across Florida from Margate to Treasure Isle. After a while of warring with clans together in their second love, the Mafia Wars True Alliance clan, Sweeney popped the big question and today they'll finally make official what they both call a "True Mafia Wars Love Connection."

Zynga was apparently so touched by the story that to help the bride and groom celebrate they're sending them on a honeymoon of their choice! Pretty sweet deal for the newlyweds, if you ask us.

Both Sweeney and Doan have since gone in together on various labors of love, including the "The Facebook & Zynga Podcast," which airs weekly on Blog Talk Radio.

Mafia Wars Natural Disaster Crates have catastrophic loot inside

The Zynga team have added yet another set of Crates to Mafia Wars with Natural Disaster Crates. For 12 Reward Points each or 35 Reward Points for three (around $3 and $7, respectively), you'll have a chance at one of eight disaster-themed weapons, vehicle and armor. Like the usual loot crates, each Natural Disaster Crate will have a 60 percent chance of containing a common item, a 30 percent chance for uncommon items and just a 10 percent chance of holding a rare item.

Check behind the break for a full list of the items you can win by picking up a few of these new crates. Here's a full preview of what you have to look forward to finding inside the Natural Disaster Crates:

Landslide     Avalanche     Lightning Strike
Common Items (60 percent chance)

Tornado     Eruption     Famine
Uncommon Items (30 percent chance)

Tsunami     Earthquake
Rare Items (10 percent chance)
These new crates have cool looking items, but whether they're worth buying when more powerful items can be found in Las Vegas jobs alone should be taken under serious consideration. But hey, if you're a collector, there's no stopping you anyway.

Zynga publishes Mafia Wars 2 comic, sets the stage for Las Vegas intrigue

Mafia Wars 2 has remained a mystery since the word leaked in January. The only follow-up the public has gotten from Zynga is last week's 'badass' trailer. But the game's official fan page announced a Mafia Wars 2 digital comic last night, titled with the game's much bandied about tagline, "Being Bad Never Felt So Good". The comic presents the glamorous yet dangerous world of the game, which is set in Las Vegas, and drops just enough exposition for the reader to meet the cast -- including whose shoes players will be stepping into once the game launches.

This eight-page comic was created by UDON Entertainment, a Canadian comics studio that specializes in Asian-inspired art, lending the story a manga flair in the character designs and paneling layout. UDON (named after the Japanese noodle) isn't a new entrant in games comics either. They're best known for their work with major Japanese games maker Capcom, drawing and publishing comics and artbooks for the Street Fighter series.
Mafia Wars 2 characters
So far, Zynga seems intent on keeping quiet about Mafia Wars 2's gameplay (except for the fact that it'll be a "vast 3-D world"), but they've been very big on establishing the game's world and its characters, the latter of which actually have detailed backstories available on the official website. A focus on characters and narratives is a rare thing in Facebook games. The last time this was done, and to a much greater extent, was Qunify's CLASH: Rise of the Heroes, which is heavily based on superhero comics. One of Zynga's developers, Mike Humphrey, has said that "I'm really looking forward to finally seeing how Mafia Wars 2 is received; it's unlike most games on Facebook right now, and I think it pushes the envelope of what people can expect from games on the platform." Let's hope they keep pushing until the day of the launch.

To check out the comic yourself, click here and follow the directions to 'Like' the game's official Facebook fan page.

How do you like the comic so far? Are you enjoying what appears to be Zynga's move towards more in-depth, story-driven Facebook games?