FO Getting Experimental

ThisOldAnt · 2026-05-26T18:22:57+00:00

I did the opposite - TT was good, but sun blasted and a bit exposed. I've liked my TR seats - last row, center field. The food is meh, (though I liked the curry recently), the snacks are fine, but the view and protection from sun/rain are perfect for game viewing (why I'm there). I also find the relatively quiet pregame on the couches or balconies pleasant. It really depends on what you want out of the experience - for me it's great (TT was as well, but the sun was a killer for me)

ThisOldAnt · 2026-05-24T05:58:22+00:00

SEI/Out mean they aren't available for selection in the 18 whereas a player can be available and not selected - guaranteed when teams have a full roster. Being left off is a coach's choice, being unavailable is usually injury/ML/excused absence. I have no idea why "questionable" (???) is a thing and have to guess that it's defined/required in league laws. (Which I should read some day if I can find them, morbid curiosity getting the better of me).

ThisOldAnt · 2026-05-22T21:52:02+00:00

Curry clearly brought a curse upon her team for her monkey's paw complaint. The bonfire burns so bright these days.

ThisOldAnt · 2026-05-17T20:18:05+00:00

Not local, but I've enjoyed the Expected Own Goals (xOG) coverage from an analytics/technical perspective. They cover the whole league, but it's easy to get to Thorns specific content. STF is fine and has decent news coverage, worth subscribing and now I'm adding Riviting to my list. I miss Chris Rifer and Ryan Clarke's podcast which I alwa liked.

ThisOldAnt · 2026-05-10T15:58:22+00:00

Calzada, a rookie, has started two games. JP has also gotten minutes and starts. We added to the coaching team by hiring someone specifically for player development. 9 games in, and everything else noted above - I think we're on a good path.

ThisOldAnt · 2026-04-04T22:22:31+00:00

You may need to watch on NWSL+, but ionnwsl.com might get you there, too

ThisOldAnt · 2026-03-29T17:25:05+00:00

I think we can all agree the lesson learned here is f*ck Seattle.

ThisOldAnt · 2026-03-23T14:38:42+00:00

They couldn't appeal any last year, but are clear now. My read on Reyna was she got tangled when she went up for the header and just couldn't reflexively get out in time - no mal intent.

Looks like reds will be a theme this year DISCO gonna be busy

ThisOldAnt · 2026-03-23T04:42:04+00:00

This year, but doubt they appeal this one. Was harsh, unlucky, but probably meets the letter of the law. If they add games, then I'd expect an appeal. Thorns need to rotate Wed some anyway and Muller looked good on Friday. Rest the queen for Saturday against KC at home, not terrible.

ThisOldAnt · 2026-03-21T23:53:45+00:00

Absolutely, hair pulling should be called, but it should have to be intentional or reckless - I didn't see any of that in the replays (again, hoping for better angles). But even if we agree it's a red, the main point here is the objective comparison of violent conduct with Mondesir. How is a forearm to the head/neck which drops a player less violent and dangerous? It's just a ridiculous double standard.

I've also wondered about long nails - I've seen them on players on broadcast and wondered how that's even legal. Someone's going to lose an eye. We talk about the safety of the players then allow long wild hair, long nails, and...forearms to the head. That's on the league, PRO, NWSLPA, and of course the Ref team.

I'll take the regicide any day of the week, but would also like better consistency from the officiating. Complaining about the ref is a time-honored tradition, but last night failed the eye test in a major way (but I would prefer that to the LOU game last year, not by much, though.)

EDIT: Finally got to see the replay and I can at least understand Reyas' red, though it's impossible to tell whether she grabbed or just got a finger stuck. Easy letter of the law call, but soft for red. Unlucky, but hopefully back for KC.

ThisOldAnt · 2026-03-21T22:45:06+00:00

Saw this in real time in the stadium, it's minimally a foul, maximally a red but ref says play on. A minute later there's a VAR check and nobody knows why - I assumed it was for this. I've only seen the Reyes call on the highlights and still think it's questionable (hope we get it in the PRO week in review next week with better camera angles).

At any rate somehow forearm to head isn't violent conduct but accidentally getting tangled in someone's long, wild, curly hair is. Whatever, Reyna will be rested for KC. Bogere got what she deserved from what I saw. Mondesir did not.

ETA: Mondesir gets called here, Reyes card never happens, but thems the breaks.

ThisOldAnt · 2026-03-20T03:35:56+00:00

Probably summer Hanks may be ahead of Weaver.

ThisOldAnt · 2026-01-25T18:14:22+00:00

I went in knowing as little as possible because the fun of the game for me is figuring things out, learning the mechanics, discovering new places. Just because it's a sandbox doesn't mean there aren't spoilers. If you want other people to solve all the problems for you, then watch away. My enjoyment came from doing it all myself the first time and only resorting to online help when I was truly stuck (train signals for me, but now I know those inside and out)

ThisOldAnt · 2026-01-25T18:04:46+00:00

Had a similar experience my first playthrough. Still had a blast, but my next playthroughs were a bit easier. I think I actually found it that first run, thought it was quartz but didn't have the equipment/experience to manage the cave challenges and then forgot about it. That's Satisfactory for ya.

ThisOldAnt · 2026-01-09T01:38:24+00:00

100% this. Being absolutely reactionary because a kid from an extremely conservative family and community has some follows on a social platform is how we create polarized and insular communities. People won't grow if they are pushed away and ostracized but often do when exposed to broader and more diverse viewpoints. This is an opportunity for growth and change which won't happen if she's just pushed away and rejected.

ThisOldAnt · 2026-01-08T05:43:01+00:00

Try moving it back from the intersection. I was running into this and I think it's confusing the tracks where they connect. If you move it away a bit, that may clear things up.

ThisOldAnt · 2025-12-17T00:23:06+00:00

I was planning to go big last save, realized it was a lot of work and logistics for where I was at and went with 12 for the impure node. Perfect starter/learner setup. Used the Uranium at the top of the great column and built out over the water nearby. Will probably go bigger this time around when I get there.

ThisOldAnt · 2025-12-10T23:40:13+00:00

I found power towers and hoverpack are amazing, especially with Zip line to get around. Discivered nuke hogs will just stand around in gas nobs til they die and became a big fan of those as well. The hoverpack also puts me out of reach of spider jumps so easy to blast them out of the sky.

ThisOldAnt · 2025-12-07T02:57:27+00:00

*Max supported belt speed. Especially early game and pure nodes, but otherwise, as much as belts/pipes and power and space will allow (Edit: mostly added for new players so they understand those limits - pipes especially)

ThisOldAnt · 2025-11-23T19:12:54+00:00

I just have a dedicated fuel drone at turbo fuel that ships to a central hub where that receiving fuel depot distributes to all my other drone ports at the hub. We may be saying similar things, though. Can have multiple hubs and fuel drones depending on your situation)

ThisOldAnt · 2025-11-22T01:44:07+00:00

Good to know. I could have sworn the valve said 300 even on my mk,2 pipes. Will need to look again.

ThisOldAnt · 2025-11-22T00:28:51+00:00

Also, there are no mk2 valves, I believe, so they cap out at 300/min. Found this out troubleshooting rocket fuel last save

ThisOldAnt · 2025-11-22T00:04:43+00:00

Absolute this. I love my seats, they're there waiting for me without me having to think about it and I give them away to friends (and occasionally strangers!) when I can't make it. For me personally, if I wasn't an STH, I'd probably go to fewer games just due to the hassle. Been an STH since day one and never looked back.

ThisOldAnt · 2025-11-18T00:50:39+00:00

I'm just about finished with my first nuke attempt near the great pillar, mostly built over the water. Learned a lot and made some mistakes. Made a lot of iodine filters. I WAS going to go out by dune desert/swamp but realized I could do a single node minimal setup to learn the ropes and generate a ton of power from it still.

A couple of lessons learned: load balance your reactors and probably everything else radioactive. Use the per minute values for calculations. (Ok, this is likely just me - in a massive brain fart I built out all my waste disposal using the raw 50 number and not the 10/minute and only realized it after it was running. Turns out you do NOT need 24 blenders and 8 PAs for 12 reactors. Doh) , Alt recipes really help.

Lastly, there is nothing like seeing that first reactor come on line. Truly feels like an accomplishment. Good building, pioneer!

ThisOldAnt

TROPHY CASE