Fixing the Spider Mastermind

[Gamer-man]

Considering the spider mastermind is insanely easy, and requires no preperation to deal with here is what i think should be done to fix it.
A:  Make the spidermastermind do bullet damage
not only is it intuitive, but it forces decisions, do you waste a spot in your inventory to resist bullet damage that isn't useful until the spidermastermind, or do you have a go with sheer brute force.  If bullets make it too easy, make the bullets stronger/more numerous/armour piercing (sperating the 'ignores half armor' from the 'plasma damage' type).
B:  spidey has no melee damage
so just let him shoot at close range.  This can be special because he is a boss (aracnatrons can stay week to melee), but really going up close to him and getting hit for nothing with just basic red armor makes him a joke boss, and no one likes fighting a joke at the end.

[MaiZure]

Good points!
These issues are being addressed in the current beta which will be available to supporters shortly. Expect .996 to have a Spidey worthy of the original!

[ParaSait]

And nerf the bros & Cybie a bit, while you're at it. :P

Expect .996 to have a Spidey worthy of the original!

Heh. Actually she's like, by far the easiest boss in the original. :D

[Deathwind]

It's not that easy if you don't know it's melee is crap, that damn spider has killed me almost every time I've made it to Dis because I tried to kill it at a distance...

[snowstorm]

Well, it's a giant brain with a super-chaingun and 4 big metal appendages.
As far as my imagination would allow it, it could either push you around, throw you back a couple of squares, squish you for teh lulz...
Or it could figure this one out on it's own - she is the "mastermind" after all...

[Nachtfischer]

It's not that easy if you don't know it's melee is crap, that damn spider has killed me almost every time I've made it to Dis because I tried to kill it at a distance...

Yeah... playing without spoilers can be frustrating sometimes. :|

[Deathwind]

It's not that I try to avoid spoilers it just that I don't have regular internet access anymore...

[Gamer-man]

i died the first time with the handgun reloading (gunkata), i won the second time because i thought "lets fight it like i would an arachnitron".  I looked up spoilers when i thought "man this balistic vest sure seems to be useless"

[IronBeer]

"man this balistic vest sure seems to be useless"

According to the wiki, the Mastermind does NOT do bullet damage. I believe it- close inspections of mortems that end on Dis often have holes punched into the outer walls, indicating that Spidey can't possibly be dealing bullet damage.

[MaiZure]

According to the wiki, the Mastermind does NOT do bullet damage. I believe it- close inspections of mortems that end on Dis often have holes punched into the outer walls, indicating that Spidey can't possibly be dealing bullet damage.

Pretty sure it's plasma

[Gamer-man]

yeah, i'm pointing out how i figured out it didn't deal bullet damage and that i should melee it without spoilers (and thus that it could be figured out without spoilers, though figuring it out it had plasma in specific could take a few attempts)

[Game Hunter]

I've been writing some AI improvements to the Mastermind. This is the current rundown without spoiling exactly how it works:

• Fires far more often
• Shots are more cone-like (still individual bullets)
• Anti-cornershooting measures

This will come with a huge damage nerf if it works out, because you'll probably be getting hit a lot more. This doesn't really take care of the melee issue, but we're already working on a potential solution for the general case.