Improving Raynor: Spider Mine (Completed)

Raynor’s Spider Mines were extremely useful once now, I say… definitely not as much as it once did.
Spider Mines theses days are easily shot down.
I am thinking of enhancing the Cereberus Mine Upgrade.
Link: https://youtu.be/_uBry7Z7YQk

I decided against giving back its invulnearbility but instead greatly buffing the mines but giving a critical weakness.

Buff - Expanding the Cereberus Mine Upgrade
Upgrade increase goes from 33% > 50% it now affects

  • Arming time (Burrow)
  • Activation time (Unborrow)
  • Movement speed
  • Range
  • Splash areas
  • This Upgrade now enable mines to attack immediately as soon as they are armed. Previously the mines just unburrowed and waits for the enemy to come.

Nerf
I reduced the Spider mine sight to 2.5. unless enemy approach the mine it will be destroyed easily.
But with Orbital Command, this problem can be easily remedied.

I have ran experiment in RoK with Machine of War composition.
I have to say I am pleased that mines no longer are rendered vulnerable to shooters.
Although I gave the mines sight weakness )which motivates players to use of Orbital Scanning more), I have a feeling that the 50% of value can be rolled back but still remain above 33%.

I ran other experiment of giving mine an ability to deep burrow which renders it invulnerable for 3 seconds (the experiment was fruitless and unfortunately not as effective) but I believe the recent one was more simplistic and by far most successful.

Previous Journal

Summary

Restoring its Invulnerability was the best option as without no invulnerability they get shot down easily due to enemy detector and superior range.
I know planting them at corner enmass can bypass enemy fire in some degree/or lure them into the trap and fight on it but most situation demands that Spider mines are planted head-on rather than in Corner.
And there are lot of composition that can counter it.

I will upload the comparison soon.

Btw, why was the invulnerability removed when it can easily be implemented through upgrade? Overpowering must re-adjusted but degrading it to point of lackluster is another problem.
If Invulnerability can cause overpower, how can we balance it?

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Why A person with name “Dehakaburger” is cool as Dehaka and his suggestions are tasty as burgers?
I don’t know, but interesting suggestion. Those mines were really strange to me.

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Thanks for the praise. They come with Mutalisk wings get them while they are hot.

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Nicely done, mister.
You have really interesting ideas.
As meme says, We will watch your carrier with great interest.

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I will just watch you… period :eyes:

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They removed the invulnerability because it was effectively a cheat code.

I think the better solution would be to give the Spider Mines some improved form of stealth so they can only be detected either at very short range or once they unburrow.

Spider Mines are nearly useless now because of how much detection Amon brings with his attack groups after the first couple waves. A limited range detection upgrade wouldn’t do anything for the mine because by the time it unburrows it will have been picked off by the ranged enemies in the attack group just the same as it is now but only causing minor damage. An upgrade to make them undetectable would be enough to make them useful again IMHO.

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I have managed to finished the experiment and have uploaded the result in video.

This was a very tough one to employ, but the result was satisfying.
All the details are updated in the original.

Thank you for your approval, bad pun but thank you.

You are not creepy at all

I can make them undetectable but the problem is that wouldn’t almost no different to invulnerability as enemies will ignore the mines anyways (granted undetectable mean they will still take damage but the “pattern” of enemies attacking Mines when they “popout” will remain the same).

The biggest problem for mine was that when it pops out, it doesn’t attack unless they move in a lot closer. Fortunately I got rid of this weakness.

Unfortunately that is not the right solution as the enemies will shoot them down even when they are cloaked.

Due to Mine’s low Hp, even marines can shoot them down (Lot will die, given if you planted lots of mines).
I am very happy to tell that I fixed critical problem of the mines as well as power up (could be bit too much as I increased 33% > 50%).
I also gave a weakness that Spider mines have short vision but so long as you have OC, the mines can show some serious power and effeciveness, I uploaded the video in the Original post.

I think that spider mines should remain cloaked even after popping out of the ground so that sniping detection does anything. Right now if Amon is sending hitscan waves at you a large quantity of the mines will die before doing anything even without detection.

i’d like to see upgrade which allows spider mines targeting air units. It could be great fun.

For explosive Air units, try Zagara’s Scourge or Dehaka’s Creeper Hosts. You’ll like them.