Spider Mastermind and the final level.

Hey, I just thought of something. Why is the spider mastermind the final boss in doom1? I mean, he's so easy! Look, with cybies, even if you're using a BFG they keep you running because if a cybie rocket hits you you're probably good as dead. But not with the spidermind. If you have just enough ammo for three BFG shots, you can ignore the other monsters, because all you have to do is run straight to the mastermind and fire off the three BFG shots and he dies! Maybe if it's a bad day for you you'll take 15-20 damage! Also, if you don't have the three BFG blasts, then the pillar in the middle makes it easy! Just wait for him to show up on a side and shoot a rocket, get out of sight, repeat!
Also, I want to know why this level is called "Dis". I just thought that was kind of a weird name and wanted to know what is meant by it.

Well, I agree that the spider mastermind is a bit too easy for a final boss, but they made it the boss because it's the "brain" behind the invasion. You know, it's supposedly the smartest of the evil horde. As for the name Dis, I'm not certain, maybe 'cause it sound cool.

In Doom 2, I always thought that the Spider Mastermind was harder. I had no difficulty dodging the Cyberdemon's rockets, but the SM's chaingun deals constant damage. I suppose it is weaker if you look at their conflict in "Gotcha."

Ya, but sometimes the Cyberdemon loses in "Gotcha".

"Dis" comes from "The Wall of Dis" in Dante's "Inferno." It's a cool story if you ever have a chance to read all 99 parts of it. There's a lot of other things in DooM 1 that they took form "Inferno:" for instance, the name of the episode itself - the descent into Hell itself. And "Pandemonium" - the "capitol" of Hell. I'm pretty sure there are other references to it, but I'm too lazy to find them.

Now that I've floored you all with my readin' skillz, I'm gonna shut the hell up now. Thank You.

Lazer said:

Ya, but sometimes the Cyberdemon loses in "Gotcha".

In my experience, the SM wins most of the time if you pit the two bosses against each other. His constant fire rate is enough to make the Cybie go into his pain frames often enough to limit his rate of fire quite considerably.

However, on a pure hit points basis, the cybie is tougher. Check their stats in dehacked

Cyberdemon - 4000 hit points
Spider mastermind - 3000 hit points

I too have always felt the Spider was too much of a wuss to be the final bad guy. The cybie is just so damned impressive. Remember the first time you woke one up? I shot a lost soul on E2M8 and heard the big boy roar. Then that clunk, clunk clunk foot step. I was ready to cack myself by the time I saw him. When I did, it was just long enough to realise that projectile coming towards me was a rocket - BOOM.

I'm sorry, but after that the Spider demon just had too much to live up to. IMO, he didn't manage. He's still cool, and more logical as a "final mastermind" type, but the Cybie is the baddest big boy in the game, and his stats make him genuinely tougher to wear down. Maybe if the spider had a more boss like second attack of some sort, rather than just a super chain gun, or maybe if he was just tougher - his chaingun is hard to avoid after all.... No point in wondering about that though, he is how he is, at least in an unmodified game.

Still, who am I to comment? My fave enemies are the former humans and imps anyway.

Yeah, the first time you meet the Cyb is great. I love how you usually end up "activating" him and listening to him come towards you before you actually see him.

Yo, dis is another name for da center of hell.

Point said:

In Doom 2, I always thought that the Spider Mastermind was harder. I had no difficulty dodging the Cyberdemon's rockets, but the SM's chaingun deals constant damage. I suppose it is weaker if you look at their conflict in "Gotcha."

That's a great quote: Death is not an end because life is not a beginning.