Difference between revisions of "Spiderdemon"

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[[Image:spider.png|thumb|The spiderdemon is king of the hill in [[Doom]], on [[E3M8: Dis (Doom)|E3M8: Dis]].]]
 +
[[Image:DoomII_Spiderdemon.png|thumb|The first encounter with the spiderdemon (in [[Skill levels|Ultra-Violence]]) in [[Doom II]], on [[MAP06: The Crusher (Doom II)|MAP06: The Crusher]].]]
 
{{Monster versions|disambig={{thisisabout|monster|doom1}}|doom4=Spider Mastermind (Doom 2016)}}
 
{{Monster versions|disambig={{thisisabout|monster|doom1}}|doom4=Spider Mastermind (Doom 2016)}}
[[Image:spider.png|256px|thumb|The spiderdemon is king of the hill in [[Doom]], on [[E3M8: Dis (Doom)|E3M8: Dis]].]]
 
[[Image:DoomII_Spiderdemon.png|256px|thumb|The first encounter with the spiderdemon (in [[Skill levels|Ultra-Violence]]) in [[Doom II]], on [[MAP06: The Crusher (Doom II)|MAP06: The Crusher]].]]
 
 
The '''spiderdemon''', called '''the spider mastermind''' in [[The Ultimate Doom]], [[Doom II]], [[Final Doom]] and the [[Depths of Doom Trilogy]]'s manual, is the [[boss]] of the final episode of [[Doom]], [[Inferno]], and again of the final episode of The Ultimate Doom, [[Thy Flesh Consumed]]. The [[PlayStation]] version of Doom in turn features two spiderdemons as the bosses of its final level, [[MAP54: Redemption Denied (PlayStation Doom)|Redemption Denied]] on higher [[skill level]]s. The spiderdemon has 3000 [[hit point]]s and is one of the toughest creatures in the game. The spiderdemon appears as a huge brain with facial features on it, mounted atop a cybernetic chassis with four mechanical legs and a super chaingun, making it similar to a spider at first glance.  
 
The '''spiderdemon''', called '''the spider mastermind''' in [[The Ultimate Doom]], [[Doom II]], [[Final Doom]] and the [[Depths of Doom Trilogy]]'s manual, is the [[boss]] of the final episode of [[Doom]], [[Inferno]], and again of the final episode of The Ultimate Doom, [[Thy Flesh Consumed]]. The [[PlayStation]] version of Doom in turn features two spiderdemons as the bosses of its final level, [[MAP54: Redemption Denied (PlayStation Doom)|Redemption Denied]] on higher [[skill level]]s. The spiderdemon has 3000 [[hit point]]s and is one of the toughest creatures in the game. The spiderdemon appears as a huge brain with facial features on it, mounted atop a cybernetic chassis with four mechanical legs and a super chaingun, making it similar to a spider at first glance.  
  
The Doom II game booklet humorously presents the spiderdemon as the mother of the [[arachnotron]]s: ''You guess the Arachnotrons had to come from somewhere. Hi, mom. She doesn't have a plasma gun, so thank heaven for small favors. Instead, she has a super-chaingun. Crap.''
+
The Doom II game booklet humorously presents the spiderdemon as the mother of the [[arachnotron]]s:  
  
The spiderdemon is not mentioned in the Doom game booklet, presumably to avoid a [[Wikipedia:Spoiler (media)|spoiler]]. Perhaps as a result of this, the game booklet for the [[Depths of Doom Trilogy]] erroneously states that it appears in Doom II only.
+
{{Quote|You guess the Arachnotrons had to come from somewhere. Hi, mom. She doesn't have a plasma gun, so thank heaven for small favors. Instead, she has a super-chaingun. Crap.|[[Doom II instruction manual]]}}
 +
 
 +
The spiderdemon is not mentioned in the Doom game booklet, presumably to avoid a {{wp|Spoiler (media)|spoiler}}. Perhaps as a result of this, the game booklet for the [[Depths of Doom Trilogy]] erroneously states that it appears in Doom II only.
  
 
==Combat characteristics==
 
==Combat characteristics==
A spiderdemon emits a demonic-like roar which starts low-pitched but progressively "grows" in a crescendo to a high-pitched tone once activated. The huge 'super chaingun' on the spiderdemon's chassis fires three bullets with every shot, much like the [[shotgun guy]]'s [[shotgun]], but at a rapid rate of 425 shots per minute (compared to the single bullet per shot of the player or [[heavy weapon dude]]'s standard chainguns. When a spiderdemon begins firing, it will not stop until its target moves out of view or dies, or if [[pain chance|it is stunned]] (where it will walk a bit immediately after the pain state) or killed. Similar behavior can be observed in the heavy weapon dude and the [[arachnotron]].
+
A spiderdemon emits a demonic roar which starts low-pitched but progressively "grows" in a crescendo to a high-pitched tone once activated. The huge 'super chaingun' on the spiderdemon's chassis fires three bullets with every shot, much like the [[shotgun guy]]'s [[shotgun]], but at a rapid rate of 425 shots per minute. When a spiderdemon begins firing, it will not stop until its target moves out of view or dies, or if [[pain chance|it is stunned]] (where it will walk a bit immediately after the pain state) or killed. Similar behavior can be observed in the heavy weapon dude and the [[arachnotron]].
  
Spiderdemons, like [[cyberdemon]]s, are immune to all [[blast damage]], taking only direct hit damage from hits. This means a greater number of rockets are required to kill them than might be expected.
+
Spiderdemons, like [[cyberdemon]]s, are immune to all [[blast damage]], taking only direct hit damage from hits. This means a greater number of rockets or [[arch-vile]] blasts are required to kill them than might be expected.
  
When killed, the spiderdemon's mechanical body shuts down (in a forcible way) and collapses. A soft, whirring-down sound is heard (similarly to the mechanical rotor of an electric drill stopping spinning) as the body falls to the ground, engulfed in flames. Its brain is splattered on impact (at this moment, similarly to the [[cyberdemon]], the monster then emits an animalistic grunt that is readily cut out by an exploding sound, possibly from the collapsing brains) and all that remains are its shattered robotic legs and dismembered facial features in a huge pool of blood.
+
When killed, the spiderdemon's mechanical body shuts down (in a forcible way) and collapses. A soft, whirring-down sound is heard (similarly to the mechanical rotor of an electric drill stopping spinning) as the body falls to the ground, engulfed in flames. Its brain is splattered on impact (at this moment, similarly to the [[cyberdemon]], the monster then emits an animalistic grunt that is readily cut out by an exploding sound, possibly from the collapsing brains) and all that remains are its shattered robotic legs and dismembered facial features in a huge pool of blood, broken machinery, and gibs.
  
 
==Tactical analysis==
 
==Tactical analysis==
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==Notes==
 
==Notes==
* Sprites for the spiderdemon were based on a model built under contract by [[Gregor Punchatz]]'s company, TXFX. The model was the first of several [[models]]; subsequent ones were used for the monsters in [[Doom II]]. Punchatz designed the model based on a pencil sketch by [[Kevin Cloud]] [https://twitter.com/GPunchatz/status/688014360690724868].
+
* Sprites for the spiderdemon were based on a model built under contract by [[Gregor Punchatz]]'s company, TXFX. The model was the first of several [[models]]; subsequent ones were used for the monsters in [[Doom II]]. Punchatz designed the model based on a pencil sketch by [[Kevin Cloud]].{{cite web|author=[[Gregor Punchatz|Punchatz, Gregor]]|title=Kevin Cloud drew this before I began working on my first boss characters for #DOOM, #SpiderMastermind #ID|url=https://twitter.com/GPunchatz/status/688014360690724868|publication=Twitter|publishdate=15 January 2016|accessdate=19 February 2020}}
[[File:Ifm shot5l.jpg|250px|thumb|The leader-brain from Invaders from Mars (1986).]]
+
[[File:Ifm shot5l.jpg|250px|thumb|The leader-brain from ''Invaders from Mars'' (1986).]]
* The appearance of the spiderdemon resembles the leader-brain from the 1986 version of ''[[wikipedia:Invaders from Mars (1986 film)|Invaders from Mars]]''.
+
* The appearance of the spiderdemon is inspired by the leader-brain from the 1986 version of ''{{wp|Invaders from Mars (1986 film)|Invaders from Mars}}'', "mixed with the ''{{wp|Gremlins}}''"<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/B15xhG_jYUe/?igshid=72uuc488c77g doom_collector: Gregor Punchatz tells #Doomzine] on Instagram</ref>.
 
* In the original [[Doom]] game, this monster is called just "spiderdemon". However, in [[Doom II cast sequence]] it has the less generic name "the spider mastermind".
 
* In the original [[Doom]] game, this monster is called just "spiderdemon". However, in [[Doom II cast sequence]] it has the less generic name "the spider mastermind".
* Despite being the final boss, several attributes of the spiderdemon are inferior to the cyberdemon, such as [[hit points]], speed or [[pain chance]]. Since the two monsters have different types of weapons, there is no objective way to tell which one is more powerful.
+
* Despite being the final boss, several attributes of the spiderdemon are inferior to the cyberdemon, such as [[hit point]]s, speed or [[pain chance]]. Since the two monsters have different types of weapons, there is no objective way to tell which one is more powerful.
 
* While the spiderdemon is considered more eminent in the original Doom game, the cyberdemon is given higher billing as the greater monster in Doom II. The spiderdemon is the last [[boss]] in Doom as well as in [[The Ultimate Doom]]'s extra episode, [[Thy Flesh Consumed]], and is credited with controlling the invasion of the [[Phobos]] and [[Deimos]] bases. However, in Doom II, the cyberdemon is the last monster fought in [[MAP29: The Living End (Doom II)|MAP29]] before the actual [[final boss]] fight in [[MAP30: Icon of Sin (Doom II)|MAP30]], in addition to the spider mastermind appearing before the cyberdemon in the endgame [[Doom II cast sequence|cast sequence]].
 
* While the spiderdemon is considered more eminent in the original Doom game, the cyberdemon is given higher billing as the greater monster in Doom II. The spiderdemon is the last [[boss]] in Doom as well as in [[The Ultimate Doom]]'s extra episode, [[Thy Flesh Consumed]], and is credited with controlling the invasion of the [[Phobos]] and [[Deimos]] bases. However, in Doom II, the cyberdemon is the last monster fought in [[MAP29: The Living End (Doom II)|MAP29]] before the actual [[final boss]] fight in [[MAP30: Icon of Sin (Doom II)|MAP30]], in addition to the spider mastermind appearing before the cyberdemon in the endgame [[Doom II cast sequence|cast sequence]].
* The spiderdemon is one of the three enemies whose machine gun sounds like a shotgun being fired rapidly, along with the [[heavy weapon dude]] and the [[Wolfenstein SS]]. This originates from the fact that the spiderdemon and the [[shotgun guy]] share the same code for their attacks: the spiderdemon's "super-chaingun" fires three bullets with every shot, each having equal traits with the shotgun guy's shotgun attack. The traits were recycled for the single code used for both the heavy weapon dude and the Wolfenstein SS in Doom II.
+
* The spiderdemon is one of the three enemies whose machine gun sounds like a shotgun being fired rapidly, along with the [[heavy weapon dude]] and the [[Wolfenstein SS]]. This originates from the fact that the spiderdemon and the [[shotgun guy]] share the same code for their attacks: the spiderdemon's "super-chaingun" fires three bullets with every shot, each having equal traits with the shotgun guy's shotgun attack. The code for reloading a hitscan attack was recycled for the single code used for both the heavy weapon dude and the Wolfenstein SS in Doom II.
 
* In the [[Sony PlayStation|PlayStation]], [[Sega Saturn]] and [[Doom for Game Boy Advance|Game Boy Advance]] versions, the gunfire noise of the heavy weapon dude and the spiderdemon is changed to sound the same as the players' chaingun.
 
* In the [[Sony PlayStation|PlayStation]], [[Sega Saturn]] and [[Doom for Game Boy Advance|Game Boy Advance]] versions, the gunfire noise of the heavy weapon dude and the spiderdemon is changed to sound the same as the players' chaingun.
 
* Upon death the spiderdemon collapses into a heap, with an accompanying series of explosions. As she collapses, frame-by-frame analysis shows that a piece of metal from her cybernetic portion pierces her forehead from within as she dies. Her mouth, complete with pointed teeth still intact, is visible on her otherwise ruined corpse. Some have even speculated that the spiderdemon flips the player off during the death sequence, though that was most likely an accident on creating the graphics.
 
* Upon death the spiderdemon collapses into a heap, with an accompanying series of explosions. As she collapses, frame-by-frame analysis shows that a piece of metal from her cybernetic portion pierces her forehead from within as she dies. Her mouth, complete with pointed teeth still intact, is visible on her otherwise ruined corpse. Some have even speculated that the spiderdemon flips the player off during the death sequence, though that was most likely an accident on creating the graphics.
 
* The spiderdemon, along with the [[demon]], [[revenant]], [[mancubus]], and [[cyberdemon]] are the only monsters whose dying sound clips includes noise other than the monsters' vocals; in this case, there are two loud explosions.
 
* The spiderdemon, along with the [[demon]], [[revenant]], [[mancubus]], and [[cyberdemon]] are the only monsters whose dying sound clips includes noise other than the monsters' vocals; in this case, there are two loud explosions.
* The spiderdemon, [[arachnotron]], and [[cyberdemon]] are the only [[monsters]] that constantly make sound when they walk.
+
* The spiderdemon, [[arachnotron]], and [[cyberdemon]] are the only [[monster]]s that constantly make sound when they walk.
 
* Near the beginning of Doom II [[MAP20: Gotcha! (Doom II)|MAP20, Gotcha!]], the player is given the opportunity to lure the spiderdemon and the cyberdemon into fighting each other via [[monster infighting]]. Unless a third party intervenes, the cyberdemon usually wins in that map.
 
* Near the beginning of Doom II [[MAP20: Gotcha! (Doom II)|MAP20, Gotcha!]], the player is given the opportunity to lure the spiderdemon and the cyberdemon into fighting each other via [[monster infighting]]. Unless a third party intervenes, the cyberdemon usually wins in that map.
 
[[File:Magic2 1.png|250px|thumb|The spiderdemon performing an unimplemented magical attack.]]
 
[[File:Magic2 1.png|250px|thumb|The spiderdemon performing an unimplemented magical attack.]]
* The term 'spiderdemon' is actually a misnomer; Despite being called a "[[Wikipedia:Spider|spider]]" the monster has only six visible limbs: two arms and four mechanical legs. Incidentally, the [[Doom novels]] inconsistently describe four mechanical legs at one point and six mechanical legs at another, though the novels themselves contain several continuity errors.{{Fact}}
+
* Despite being called a "{{wp|spider}}" the monster has only six visible limbs rather than eight: two arms and four mechanical legs.
* The sprites are different from the original [[models|latex and metal model]], as seen [http://romero.smugmug.com/keyword/spiderdemon here]. The model has a 3-barreled chaingun implanted right below the mouth, while the game sprites have a 6-barreled chaingun implanted into the base. It may not be a coincidence that the spiderdemon fires three bullets each time.
+
* Incidentally, the [[Doom novels]] inconsistently describe four mechanical legs at one point and six mechanical legs at another, though the novels themselves contain several continuity errors.{{Fact}}
 +
* The sprites are different from the original [[models|latex and metal model]], as seen [http://romero.smugmug.com/keyword/spiderdemon here]. The model has a three-barreled chaingun implanted right below the mouth, while the game sprites have a 6-barreled chaingun implanted into the base. The original model matches the three bullets fired by the spiderdemon.
 +
* The smaller, three-barreled chaingun is still visible in some sprites, particularly from the sides or dying animation.
 +
* The appearance of the six-barreled chaingun is reminiscent of the bosses in [[Wolfenstein 3D]].
 
* The spiderdemon was originally intended to have a secondary "magic" attack.<ref>https://twitter.com/romero/status/542948411733860352</ref> However, it was never implemented because the designers could not decide on what the attack would do.<ref>https://twitter.com/romero/status/542971184740970498</ref>
 
* The spiderdemon was originally intended to have a secondary "magic" attack.<ref>https://twitter.com/romero/status/542948411733860352</ref> However, it was never implemented because the designers could not decide on what the attack would do.<ref>https://twitter.com/romero/status/542971184740970498</ref>
 
*[[MAP28: The Spirit World (Doom II)|MAP28: The Spirit World]] in Doom II is the only level designed by [[id Software]] that includes more than one spiderdemon at the same time. Two appear near a group of [[arachnotron]]s, on the "Hurt me Plenty", "Ultra-Violence", and "Nightmare!" [[skill level]]s.
 
*[[MAP28: The Spirit World (Doom II)|MAP28: The Spirit World]] in Doom II is the only level designed by [[id Software]] that includes more than one spiderdemon at the same time. Two appear near a group of [[arachnotron]]s, on the "Hurt me Plenty", "Ultra-Violence", and "Nightmare!" [[skill level]]s.
 
* The spiderdemon is also one of the rarest monsters in the game, appearing in only a few select levels.
 
* The spiderdemon is also one of the rarest monsters in the game, appearing in only a few select levels.
* The [[PlayStation]] and [[Saturn]] ports' version of the spiderdemon only contains one sound clip, used for both an alert sound and a dying sound.
+
* The [[PlayStation]] and [[Sega Saturn|Saturn]] ports' version of the spiderdemon only contains one sound clip, used for both an alert sound and a dying sound.
 
* As with all [[hitscan]] attack monsters, it is possible for two spiderdemons to [[monster infighting|infight]] each other. The only instance where this can happen in the official commercial levels is [[MAP28: The Spirit World|MAP28]] of Doom II.  This also occurs in the PlayStation/Saturn ports' final level, [[MAP54: Redemption Denied (PlayStation Doom)|Redemption Denied]].
 
* As with all [[hitscan]] attack monsters, it is possible for two spiderdemons to [[monster infighting|infight]] each other. The only instance where this can happen in the official commercial levels is [[MAP28: The Spirit World|MAP28]] of Doom II.  This also occurs in the PlayStation/Saturn ports' final level, [[MAP54: Redemption Denied (PlayStation Doom)|Redemption Denied]].
 +
* Ironically, despite being described as their "mom", the spiderdemon is very liked to be killed by any nearby group of [[arachnotron]]s in Doom II due to infighting: the high fire rate of the spiderdemon makes it very likely to become the target of multiple arachnotrons, and a few arachnotrons are easily capable of [[pain state|stunning]] the spiderdemon.
 +
* The official French name of the monster is ''araignée cerveau'' (literally: brain spider; the accent in ''araignée'' is not reflected in the game itself due to technical limitations).
  
 
==Data==
 
==Data==
Line 57: Line 64:
 
   |ID #||7 (decimal), 7 (hex)
 
   |ID #||7 (decimal), 7 (hex)
 
   |-
 
   |-
   |[[Hit points]]||3000
+
   |[[Hit point]]s||3000
 
   |-
 
   |-
 
   |Speed||12 [[map unit]]s per frame<br>(140.0 map units per second)
 
   |Speed||12 [[map unit]]s per frame<br>(140.0 map units per second)
Line 126: Line 133:
 
|}
 
|}
  
[[Image:SposHistogram.png|none|300px|thumb|''Damage done by each shot from the super-chaingun'']]
+
[[File:SposHistogram.png|none|300px|thumb|''Damage done by each shot from the super-chaingun'']]
  
 
{| {{prettytable}}
 
{| {{prettytable}}
 
| '''Shots needed to kill'''<sup>1,2</sup>
 
| '''Shots needed to kill'''<sup>1,2</sup>
 
| Mean
 
| Mean
| [[Wikipedia:Standard deviation#Interpretation and application|Standard<br>deviation]]
+
| {{wp|Standard deviation#Interpretation and application|Standard<br>deviation}}
 
| Min
 
| Min
 
| Max
 
| Max
Line 179: Line 186:
 
|[[Baron of Hell]]||117.61||17.02||100||159
 
|[[Baron of Hell]]||117.61||17.02||100||159
 
|-
 
|-
|Spiderdemon||351.57||51.06||303||473
+
|[[Spiderdemon]]||351.57||51.06||303||473
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Cyberdemon]]||468.91||68.19||405||631
 
|[[Cyberdemon]]||468.91||68.19||405||631
Line 185: Line 192:
 
|}
 
|}
 
<small>
 
<small>
#This table assumes that all calls to [[Pseudorandom number generator|P_Random]] for damage, [[pain chance]], [[blood]] splats, and bullet dispersal are consecutive. In real play, this is never the case: counterattacks and AI pathfinding must be handled, and of course the map may contain additional moving monsters and other randomized phenomena (such as [[Sector#Vanilla Doom|flickering lights]]). Any resulting errors are probably toward the single-shot average, as they introduce noise into the correlation between the indices of "consecutive" calls.
+
#This table assumes that all calls to [[Pseudorandom number generator|P_Random]] for damage, [[pain chance]], [[blood]] splats, and bullet dispersal are consecutive. In real play, this is never the case: counterattacks and AI pathfinding must be handled, and of course the map may contain additional moving monsters and other randomized phenomena (such as [[Sector#Doom|flickering lights]]). Any resulting errors are probably toward the single-shot average, as they introduce noise into the correlation between the indices of "consecutive" calls.
 
#The target must be close enough to compensate for the weapon's recoil.
 
#The target must be close enough to compensate for the weapon's recoil.
 
#Assumes that direct hits are possible, which [[Icon of Sin|does not occur]] in any stock map.
 
#Assumes that direct hits are possible, which [[Icon of Sin|does not occur]] in any stock map.
Line 191: Line 198:
  
 
==Appearance statistics==
 
==Appearance statistics==
In [[classic Doom]], the spiderdemon is first encountered on these maps:
 
  
{| {{prettytable}}
+
In the [[IWAD]]s the spiderdemon is first encountered on these maps per [[Skill level#Doom and Doom II skill levels|skill level]]:
!Game||[[I'm Too Young To Die|ITYTD]] and [[Hey, Not Too Rough|HNTR]]||[[Hurt Me Plenty|HMP]]||[[Ultra-Violence|UV]] and [[Nightmare!|NM]]
+
 
|-
+
{{col-begin}}
|[[Ultimate Doom]]||[[E3M8: Dis (Doom)|E3M8: Dis]]||[[E3M8: Dis (Doom)|E3M8: Dis]]||[[E3M8: Dis (Doom)|E3M8: Dis]]
+
{{col-break|width=50%}}
|-
+
{| {{prettytable}}
|[[Doom II]]||[[MAP20: Gotcha! (Doom II)|MAP20: Gotcha!]]||[[MAP20: Gotcha! (Doom II)|MAP20: Gotcha!]]||[[MAP06: The Crusher (Doom II)|MAP06: The Crusher]]
+
!colspan="4"|Single-player
|-
+
|-
|[[TNT: Evilution]]||[[MAP20: Central Processing (TNT: Evilution)|MAP20: Central Processing]]<sup>1</sup>||[[MAP20: Central Processing (TNT: Evilution)|MAP20: Central Processing]]||[[MAP14: Steel Works (TNT: Evilution)|MAP14: Steel Works]]
+
!Game / ''Episode''!!1-2!!3!!4-5
|-
+
|-
|[[Plutonia]]||[[MAP05: Ghost Town (The Plutonia Experiment)|MAP05: Ghost Town]]||[[MAP05: Ghost Town (The Plutonia Experiment)|MAP05: Ghost Town]]||[[MAP05: Ghost Town (The Plutonia Experiment)|MAP05: Ghost Town]]  
+
|''[[Knee-Deep in the Dead]]''||-||-||-
 +
|-
 +
|''[[The Shores of Hell]]''||-||-||-
 +
|-
 +
|''[[Inferno]]''||[[E3M8: Dis]]||E3M8: Dis||E3M8: Dis
 +
|-
 +
|''[[Thy Flesh Consumed]]''||[[E4M8: Unto the Cruel]]||E4M8: Unto the Cruel||E4M8: Unto the Cruel
 +
|-
 +
|[[Doom II]]||[[MAP20: Gotcha!]]||MAP20: Gotcha!||[[MAP06: The Crusher]]
 +
|-
 +
|[[TNT: Evilution]]||[[MAP32: Caribbean]]||[[MAP20: Central Processing]]||[[MAP14: Steel Works]]
 +
|-
 +
|[[Plutonia Experiment]]||[[MAP05: Ghost Town]]||MAP05: Ghost Town||MAP05: Ghost Town
 +
|}
 +
{{col-break}}
 +
{| {{prettytable}}
 +
!colspan="4"|Multiplayer
 +
|-
 +
!Game / ''Episode''!!1-2!!3!!4-5
 +
|-
 +
|''Knee-Deep in the Dead''||-||-||-
 +
|-
 +
|''The Shores of Hell''||-||-||-
 +
|-
 +
|''Inferno''||E3M8: Dis||E3M8: Dis||E3M8: Dis
 +
|-
 +
|''Thy Flesh Consumed''||E4M8: Unto the Cruel||E4M8: Unto the Cruel||E4M8: Unto the Cruel
 +
|-
 +
|Doom II||MAP20: Gotcha!||[[MAP12: The Factory]]||MAP06: The Crusher
 +
|-
 +
|TNT: Evilution||MAP32: Caribbean||MAP20: Central Processing||MAP14: Steel Works
 +
|-
 +
|Plutonia Experiment||MAP05: Ghost Town||[[MAP01: Congo]]||MAP01: Congo
 +
|}
 +
{{col-end}}
 +
 
 +
The IWADs contain the following numbers of spiderdemons per skill level:
 +
 
 +
{{col-begin}}
 +
{{col-break|width=50%}}
 +
{| {{prettytable|style=text-align: center;}}
 +
!colspan="4"|Single-player
 +
|-
 +
!Game / ''Episode''!!1-2!!3!!4-5
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|''[[Knee-Deep in the Dead]]''||''0''||''0''||''0''
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|''[[The Shores of Hell]]''||''0''||''0''||''0''
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|''[[Inferno]]''||''1''||''1''||''1''
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Doom|Doom (registered)]]||1||1||1
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|''[[Thy Flesh Consumed]]''||''1''||''1''||''1''
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Ultimate Doom]]||2||2||2
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Doom II]]||2||4||5
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|[[TNT: Evilution]]||2||1||3
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Plutonia Experiment]]||3||4||4
 
|}
 
|}
 +
{{col-break}}
 +
{| {{prettytable|style=text-align: center;}}
 +
!colspan="4"|Multiplayer
 +
|-
 +
!Game / ''Episode''!!1-2!!3!!4-5
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|''Knee-Deep in the Dead''||''0''||''0''||''0''
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|''The Shores of Hell''||''0''||''0''||''0''
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|''Inferno''||''1''||''1''||''1''
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|Doom (registered)||1||1||1
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|''Thy Flesh Consumed''||''1''||''1''||''1''
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|Ultimate Doom||2||2||2
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|Doom II||2||5||6
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|TNT: Evilution||2||1||3
 +
|-
 +
|style="text-align: left;"|Plutonia Experiment||5||11||10
 +
|}
 +
{{col-end}}
  
The [[IWAD]]s contain the following numbers of spiderdemons:
+
Of the maps covered on the Doom Wiki, the following have the highest numbers of spiderdemons in single-player:
 
{| {{prettytable}}
 
{| {{prettytable}}
!Game||[[I'm Too Young To Die|ITYTD]] and [[Hey, Not Too Rough|HNTR]]||[[Hurt Me Plenty|HMP]]||[[Ultra-Violence|UV]] and [[Nightmare!|NM]]
+
! Map !! Count
 +
|-
 +
| [[MAP02: Sewer System (School Doom II)]] || 23
 
|-
 
|-
|[[Ultimate Doom]]||2||2||2
+
| [[MAP01: Deus Vult Zero (Deus Vult Zero)]] || 19
 
|-
 
|-
|[[Doom II]]||2||4||5
+
| [[E1M1 (Galaxia)]] || 17
 
|-
 
|-
|[[TNT: Evilution]]||2||1||3
+
| [[MAP46: Complexe Militaro-Industriel (MAYhem 2020)]] || 15
 
|-
 
|-
|[[Plutonia]]||3||4||4
+
| [[E2M8 (Dinner)]]<br>[[MAP16: Whispers of the Gnarled King (Sunder)]]<br>[[Okuplok Slaughter Map]] || 13
 
|}
 
|}
 +
''This data was last verified on December 16, 2020.''
  
# May be encountered earlier if the [[MAP32: Caribbean|super secret level]] is played.
+
==In other games==
 +
[[File:Doom II RPG Spider Mastermind.png|thumb|right|The Spider Mastermind in Doom II RPG.]]
 +
===Doom II RPG===
 +
The spiderdemon appears as a boss in [[Doom II RPG]] under the name "Spider Mastermind." When it is defeated, it breaks apart into three [[arachnotron]]s.
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
Line 229: Line 327:
 
{{Sony PlayStation monsters}}
 
{{Sony PlayStation monsters}}
 
[[Category:Boss monsters]]
 
[[Category:Boss monsters]]
 +
[[Category:Spider demons]]

Revision as of 09:52, 16 December 2020

The spiderdemon is king of the hill in Doom, on E3M8: Dis.
The first encounter with the spiderdemon (in Ultra-Violence) in Doom II, on MAP06: The Crusher.
This article is about the monster in the classic Doom series. For other games, see:

The spiderdemon, called the spider mastermind in The Ultimate Doom, Doom II, Final Doom and the Depths of Doom Trilogy's manual, is the boss of the final episode of Doom, Inferno, and again of the final episode of The Ultimate Doom, Thy Flesh Consumed. The PlayStation version of Doom in turn features two spiderdemons as the bosses of its final level, Redemption Denied on higher skill levels. The spiderdemon has 3000 hit points and is one of the toughest creatures in the game. The spiderdemon appears as a huge brain with facial features on it, mounted atop a cybernetic chassis with four mechanical legs and a super chaingun, making it similar to a spider at first glance.

The Doom II game booklet humorously presents the spiderdemon as the mother of the arachnotrons:

"You guess the Arachnotrons had to come from somewhere. Hi, mom. She doesn't have a plasma gun, so thank heaven for small favors. Instead, she has a super-chaingun. Crap."

The spiderdemon is not mentioned in the Doom game booklet, presumably to avoid a spoiler. Perhaps as a result of this, the game booklet for the Depths of Doom Trilogy erroneously states that it appears in Doom II only.

Combat characteristics

A spiderdemon emits a demonic roar which starts low-pitched but progressively "grows" in a crescendo to a high-pitched tone once activated. The huge 'super chaingun' on the spiderdemon's chassis fires three bullets with every shot, much like the shotgun guy's shotgun, but at a rapid rate of 425 shots per minute. When a spiderdemon begins firing, it will not stop until its target moves out of view or dies, or if it is stunned (where it will walk a bit immediately after the pain state) or killed. Similar behavior can be observed in the heavy weapon dude and the arachnotron.

Spiderdemons, like cyberdemons, are immune to all blast damage, taking only direct hit damage from hits. This means a greater number of rockets or arch-vile blasts are required to kill them than might be expected.

When killed, the spiderdemon's mechanical body shuts down (in a forcible way) and collapses. A soft, whirring-down sound is heard (similarly to the mechanical rotor of an electric drill stopping spinning) as the body falls to the ground, engulfed in flames. Its brain is splattered on impact (at this moment, similarly to the cyberdemon, the monster then emits an animalistic grunt that is readily cut out by an exploding sound, possibly from the collapsing brains) and all that remains are its shattered robotic legs and dismembered facial features in a huge pool of blood, broken machinery, and gibs.

Tactical analysis

E4M8 boss battle

On hard skill levels, there will be a few barons with her. You can use them to weaken/kill the spiderdemon. Near the spiderdemon is a hidden area with a BFG9000 and some ammo. Check the walls while she is in a fight with an enemy so you do not risk being killed.

General tactics

When fighting a spiderdemon, it is essential to keep one's distance as much as possible; even at medium range, the monster's attack can be devastating. Using the more powerful weapons is recommended against it, although since the spiderdemon has a low pain chance, rapid-fire weapons will not completely prevent it from attacking. Using melee attacks against it is extremely dangerous, except in the rare cases where the spiderdemon is pinned by another attacker. In E3M8: Dis, it is possible to stand up on the ledge above ground level and stay at great distance from the monster. At this range, the spiderdemon's attack will not aim toward the player, and therefore never hit its target. Also, the spiderdemon is large and tall enough that, even while standing on the ledge, projectile attacks will reach it.

However, due to its large size, it will soak in most if not all BFG rays from a point blank shot, dying in only 1 or 2 hits. A skilled player can therefore kill it easily by running up to it and shooting it twice with the BFG before it can kill the player. Utilizing monster infighting can be effective when battling a spiderdemon. If one does not have the BFG, the rocket launcher or the plasma gun are recommended.

Notes

  • Sprites for the spiderdemon were based on a model built under contract by Gregor Punchatz's company, TXFX. The model was the first of several models; subsequent ones were used for the monsters in Doom II. Punchatz designed the model based on a pencil sketch by Kevin Cloud.[1]
The leader-brain from Invaders from Mars (1986).
  • The appearance of the spiderdemon is inspired by the leader-brain from the 1986 version of Invaders from Mars, "mixed with the Gremlins"[2].
  • In the original Doom game, this monster is called just "spiderdemon". However, in Doom II cast sequence it has the less generic name "the spider mastermind".
  • Despite being the final boss, several attributes of the spiderdemon are inferior to the cyberdemon, such as hit points, speed or pain chance. Since the two monsters have different types of weapons, there is no objective way to tell which one is more powerful.
  • While the spiderdemon is considered more eminent in the original Doom game, the cyberdemon is given higher billing as the greater monster in Doom II. The spiderdemon is the last boss in Doom as well as in The Ultimate Doom's extra episode, Thy Flesh Consumed, and is credited with controlling the invasion of the Phobos and Deimos bases. However, in Doom II, the cyberdemon is the last monster fought in MAP29 before the actual final boss fight in MAP30, in addition to the spider mastermind appearing before the cyberdemon in the endgame cast sequence.
  • The spiderdemon is one of the three enemies whose machine gun sounds like a shotgun being fired rapidly, along with the heavy weapon dude and the Wolfenstein SS. This originates from the fact that the spiderdemon and the shotgun guy share the same code for their attacks: the spiderdemon's "super-chaingun" fires three bullets with every shot, each having equal traits with the shotgun guy's shotgun attack. The code for reloading a hitscan attack was recycled for the single code used for both the heavy weapon dude and the Wolfenstein SS in Doom II.
  • In the PlayStation, Sega Saturn and Game Boy Advance versions, the gunfire noise of the heavy weapon dude and the spiderdemon is changed to sound the same as the players' chaingun.
  • Upon death the spiderdemon collapses into a heap, with an accompanying series of explosions. As she collapses, frame-by-frame analysis shows that a piece of metal from her cybernetic portion pierces her forehead from within as she dies. Her mouth, complete with pointed teeth still intact, is visible on her otherwise ruined corpse. Some have even speculated that the spiderdemon flips the player off during the death sequence, though that was most likely an accident on creating the graphics.
  • The spiderdemon, along with the demon, revenant, mancubus, and cyberdemon are the only monsters whose dying sound clips includes noise other than the monsters' vocals; in this case, there are two loud explosions.
  • The spiderdemon, arachnotron, and cyberdemon are the only monsters that constantly make sound when they walk.
  • Near the beginning of Doom II MAP20, Gotcha!, the player is given the opportunity to lure the spiderdemon and the cyberdemon into fighting each other via monster infighting. Unless a third party intervenes, the cyberdemon usually wins in that map.
The spiderdemon performing an unimplemented magical attack.
  • Despite being called a "spider" the monster has only six visible limbs rather than eight: two arms and four mechanical legs.
  • Incidentally, the Doom novels inconsistently describe four mechanical legs at one point and six mechanical legs at another, though the novels themselves contain several continuity errors.[citation needed]
  • The sprites are different from the original latex and metal model, as seen here. The model has a three-barreled chaingun implanted right below the mouth, while the game sprites have a 6-barreled chaingun implanted into the base. The original model matches the three bullets fired by the spiderdemon.
  • The smaller, three-barreled chaingun is still visible in some sprites, particularly from the sides or dying animation.
  • The appearance of the six-barreled chaingun is reminiscent of the bosses in Wolfenstein 3D.
  • The spiderdemon was originally intended to have a secondary "magic" attack.[3] However, it was never implemented because the designers could not decide on what the attack would do.[4]
  • MAP28: The Spirit World in Doom II is the only level designed by id Software that includes more than one spiderdemon at the same time. Two appear near a group of arachnotrons, on the "Hurt me Plenty", "Ultra-Violence", and "Nightmare!" skill levels.
  • The spiderdemon is also one of the rarest monsters in the game, appearing in only a few select levels.
  • The PlayStation and Saturn ports' version of the spiderdemon only contains one sound clip, used for both an alert sound and a dying sound.
  • As with all hitscan attack monsters, it is possible for two spiderdemons to infight each other. The only instance where this can happen in the official commercial levels is MAP28 of Doom II. This also occurs in the PlayStation/Saturn ports' final level, Redemption Denied.
  • Ironically, despite being described as their "mom", the spiderdemon is very liked to be killed by any nearby group of arachnotrons in Doom II due to infighting: the high fire rate of the spiderdemon makes it very likely to become the target of multiple arachnotrons, and a few arachnotrons are easily capable of stunning the spiderdemon.
  • The official French name of the monster is araignée cerveau (literally: brain spider; the accent in araignée is not reflected in the game itself due to technical limitations).

Data

Attributes
ID # 7 (decimal), 7 (hex)
Hit points 3000
Speed 12 map units per frame
(140.0 map units per second)
Width 256
Height 100
Reaction time 8
Pain chance 40 (12.89%)
Pain time 6 tics
Mass 1000
Bits 4194310
Bits list

1: Obstacle

2: Shootable

22: Affects Kill %

Sprites & sounds
Sprite name SPID
Alert sound DSSPISIT
Chase sound DSMETAL
Action sound DSDMACT
Pain sound DSDMPAIN
Death sound DSSPIDTH
Ranged attack
Type Hitscan
Damage 3-15 (per pellet)
9-45 (total)
Shots per minute 466.7
Sprite name PUFF (impact, miss)
BLUD (impact, hit)
Sound DSSHOTGN
Damage done by each shot from the super-chaingun
Shots needed to kill1,2 Mean Standard
deviation
Min Max
Player (100%
health, no armor)
12.29 2.16 9 19
Player (100%
health, security armor)
17.86 2.79 13 26
Player (200%
health, combat armor)
44.18 6.03 37 59
Barrel 2.93 0.83 2 6
Trooper 2.93 0.83 2 6
Sergeant 3.91 1.04 2 7
Wolfenstein SS 6.37 1.39 4 11
Imp 7.43 1.53 5 13
Chaingunner 8.80 1.74 5 15
Lost soul 12.29 2.16 9 19
Commander Keen 12.29 2.16 9 19
Demon 17.86 2.79 13 26
Spectre 17.86 2.79 13 26
Boss brain3 29.78 4.39 25 42
Revenant 35.44 5.22 30 50
Cacodemon 47.41 6.88 40 64
Pain elemental 47.41 6.88 40 64
Hell knight 58.95 8.61 50 82
Arachnotron 58.95 8.61 50 82
Mancubus 70.57 10.22 60 96
Arch-vile 82.52 12.01 70 114
Baron of Hell 117.61 17.02 100 159
Spiderdemon 351.57 51.06 303 473
Cyberdemon 468.91 68.19 405 631

  1. This table assumes that all calls to P_Random for damage, pain chance, blood splats, and bullet dispersal are consecutive. In real play, this is never the case: counterattacks and AI pathfinding must be handled, and of course the map may contain additional moving monsters and other randomized phenomena (such as flickering lights). Any resulting errors are probably toward the single-shot average, as they introduce noise into the correlation between the indices of "consecutive" calls.
  2. The target must be close enough to compensate for the weapon's recoil.
  3. Assumes that direct hits are possible, which does not occur in any stock map.

Appearance statistics

In the IWADs the spiderdemon is first encountered on these maps per skill level:

The IWADs contain the following numbers of spiderdemons per skill level:

Of the maps covered on the Doom Wiki, the following have the highest numbers of spiderdemons in single-player:

Map Count
MAP02: Sewer System (School Doom II) 23
MAP01: Deus Vult Zero (Deus Vult Zero) 19
E1M1 (Galaxia) 17
MAP46: Complexe Militaro-Industriel (MAYhem 2020) 15
E2M8 (Dinner)
MAP16: Whispers of the Gnarled King (Sunder)
Okuplok Slaughter Map
13

This data was last verified on December 16, 2020.

In other games

The Spider Mastermind in Doom II RPG.

Doom II RPG

The spiderdemon appears as a boss in Doom II RPG under the name "Spider Mastermind." When it is defeated, it breaks apart into three arachnotrons.

References

  1. Punchatz, Gregor (15 January 2016). "Kevin Cloud drew this before I began working on my first boss characters for #DOOM, #SpiderMastermind #ID." Twitter. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  2. doom_collector: Gregor Punchatz tells #Doomzine on Instagram
  3. https://twitter.com/romero/status/542948411733860352
  4. https://twitter.com/romero/status/542971184740970498

See also