🎯 What is the Fortified Systems Table?
This table shows all systems you control that serve as defensive anchors for your territory. These are marked as FT (Fortified) systems in PowerPlay.
💡 Key Concept: Fortified systems are the middle tier of control. They generate no income themselves, but they provide 15 LY protection bubbles that keep exploited systems tethered to your power. Think of them as military outposts.
Main Purpose:
- Identify fortified systems that should be upgraded to Stronghold (FT→SH)
- Monitor which systems are being contested or undermined
- Track defensive coverage network and identify critical nodes
- Find mining opportunities in defensive territory
📋 Column Breakdown
Understanding what each column tells you:
1UP Score (0-10)
How urgently this system needs upgrading to Stronghold.
- 7-10: Critical upgrade
- 5-7: High priority
- 3-5: Medium priority
- 1-3: Low priority
Hover to see R1/R2/R3/R4 breakdown!
System Name
The star system name.
Click to expand details showing dependent systems, rings, and activity.
Rings
Shows if the system has valuable resource rings:
P = Pristine MetallicM+ = Major MetallicMetal = Metallic ringsIcy = Icy rings
Click row to expand for hotspots (Platinum, Monazite, etc.)
UM (Undermining)
Opposition merits being dumped into this system.
- Red: Heavy attack
- Orange: Moderate
- Green: Safe
If a fortified system flips, all exploited systems depending on it go into turmoil!
Reinforcement
Friendly merits defending this fortified system.
- Green: Strong defense
- Orange: Needs support
- Red: Critical danger
Activity Bar
Visual comparison of UM vs Reinforcement growth.
Red: UM acceleration
Green: Defense acceleration
If red dominates, system is in trouble!
Bubble Coverage
How many other fortified/stronghold systems protect this one.
SH: Stronghold protectorsFT: Fortified protectors
High coverage = redundancy (if this flips, dependents survive)
Dependencies
How many exploited systems rely on THIS fortified system for their tether.
Critical: If this number is high and coverage is low, losing this system causes massive turmoil!
🛡️ How to Use This Table
1. Identify Stronghold Upgrade Priorities
Sort by 1UP Score (descending) to see which fortified systems should become strongholds:
- Score 7-10 (Green): Critical upgrades - these systems are keystone nodes in your defensive network
- Score 5-7 (Gold): High priority - would significantly strengthen coverage if upgraded
- Score 3-5 (Blue): Medium priority - situational based on strategic needs
- Score 1-3 (Orange): Low priority - minimal defensive benefit from upgrade
💡 Pro Tip: Systems with high R2 scores (tether-loss mitigation) are critical nodes. If they flip, many exploited systems go into turmoil. Upgrade these to stronghold for maximum protection!
2. Protect Critical Defensive Nodes
Sort by Dependencies to find systems that many others rely on:
- High dependencies + Low coverage: Extremely dangerous! If this flips, cascade turmoil occurs
- High dependencies + High coverage: Critical but safer - multiple backups exist
- Low dependencies: Less critical - can tolerate higher risk
⚠️ Cascade Risk: A fortified system with 20 dependent exploited systems and only 1 defender is a single point of failure. If it flips, you lose 21 systems instantly!
3. Monitor Undermining on Key Systems
Cross-reference UM levels with Dependencies:
- High UM + High Dependencies: Emergency! Prioritize reinforcement immediately
- Growing UM (check activity bars): Increasing opposition focus - reinforce before it's too late
- Low UM but high value: Safe for now, but monitor - opposition may shift focus
4. Find Mining in Safe Territory
Filter by Rings to locate mining sites in fortified territory:
- Pristine Metallic: Best mining, fully protected by fortified status
- Hotspots: Hover for specific materials (Platinum, Monazite, Alexandrite, etc.)
- Safe mining: Fortified systems are harder to lose than exploited, so mining is more secure
5. Assess Redundancy and Single Points of Failure
Sort by Bubble Coverage (ascending) to find vulnerable fortified systems:
- 0-1 coverage: If this has dependencies, it's a single point of failure!
- 2-3 coverage: Some redundancy, but still risky if attacked
- 4+ coverage: Well protected - even if this flips, dependents have backup tethers
💡 Defensive Strategy: Ideal network has multiple overlapping fortified/stronghold systems. No single loss should cause turmoil. Build redundancy through strategic upgrades!
🎓 Understanding the 1UP Score for Fortified Systems
The 1UP Score for fortified systems considers four factors:
Risk Reduction (50% weight)
- R1 - Exposed Cover Lift: How many systems have 0-1 coverage that this would protect if upgraded to stronghold
- R2 - Tether-Loss Mitigation: How many systems depend on THIS as their only defender (most critical metric!)
- R3 - Redundancy Lift: How many low-coverage systems would gain an extra backup defender
- R4 - Supporter Strength Buffer: How strong are the systems protecting THIS fortified system (if they flip, this becomes vulnerable)
💡 R2 is King: A fortified system with R2 = 15 means 15 exploited systems ONLY have this as their defender. If it flips, all 15 go into turmoil. High R2 = must upgrade!
System Quality (25% weight)
- Population: Higher pop systems are more strategically valuable
- Economy: High-Tech, Industrial, Military > Service, Agriculture
- Mining: Pristine rings, valuable hotspots add bonus value
Acquisition Potential (15% weight)
- How many quality systems are within 15 LY that could be exploited
- Fortified systems on expansion frontiers score higher (gateway systems)
Cost Efficiency (10% weight)
- Current CP in treasury affects timing decisions
- Low CP = might want to wait for better economic cycle
📊 Example Scenarios
Scenario 1: Critical Single Point of Failure
System: Example Alpha
- 1UP Score: 9.2 (Critical - Upgrade NOW)
- Dependencies: 18 exploited systems
- Coverage: 0 SH, 1 FT (minimal backup)
- UM: High (red bar)
- R2 Score: 18 (all dependencies would be lost if this flips)
Action: EMERGENCY UPGRADE! This is a single point of failure under attack. If it flips, you lose 19 systems (18 exploited + this fortified). Upgrade to stronghold immediately for 30 LY bubble and stronger defense.
Scenario 2: Strategic Gateway System
System: Example Beta
- 1UP Score: 7.1 (High Priority)
- Dependencies: 8 exploited systems
- Coverage: 2 FT (moderate backup)
- Acquisition: 45 nearby quality systems
- R1 Score: 12 (many systems would gain coverage)
Action: Great upgrade candidate. This system opens up expansion vectors and strengthens the defensive network. Upgrading to stronghold creates a 30 LY anchor for future growth.
Scenario 3: Well-Protected Low Priority
System: Example Gamma
- 1UP Score: 2.8 (Low Priority)
- Dependencies: 2 exploited systems
- Coverage: 4 SH, 6 FT (very safe)
- UM: None
- R2 Score: 0 (dependents have multiple backups)
Action: Skip for now. This system is well-protected and provides minimal defensive benefit if upgraded. Save CP for critical nodes. If CP is abundant, upgrade for mining/quality reasons only.
🔄 Fortified vs Stronghold - What's the Difference?
Fortified (FT)
- Bubble: 15 LY protection radius
- CP Cost: ~750,000 to fortify
- Defense: Standard undermining resistance
- Purpose: Basic defensive anchor
Stronghold (SH)
- Bubble: 30 LY protection radius
- CP Cost: Additional ~750,000 to upgrade
- Defense: Enhanced resistance to undermining
- Purpose: Major strategic anchor
💡 Why Upgrade? Strongholds have double the range, providing vastly more coverage. A single stronghold can protect 70-100+ systems, while a fortified system typically covers 20-40. The larger bubble also makes it harder for opposition to "island" your territory by cutting off tethers.
🔍 Tooltips & Expandable Rows
Additional information available:
- 1UP Score (hover): Shows component breakdown (Risk, Quality, Acquisition, Cost Efficiency) and R1/R2/R3/R4 values
- Bubble Coverage defenders (hover): Hover over 🏰/🛡️ icons to see defender name, distance, and progress percentage
- Expandable rows (click): Click any row to expand and see full ring details, mining hotspots, UM/RF activity data, and list of dependent exploited systems