What is the meaning of the moves given in brackets and square brackets?
BracketingEdit
These brackets within parentheses are used for very complex routes, where simply putting them in parentheses and saying "Backtrack" is not sufficient. If Chip is moving 12U to collect one computer chip but has to also collect a chip 6U R off his location on the way up, simply saying (6U RL 6U) does not work because it implies that the RL move is also retraced, which is not true. Instead, the correct directional notation is (6U [R] 6U), which signifies that the RL move is not to be repeated.
However, if there were a closed toggle wall at the 11U location, an open toggle wall at the D location, and a green button at the 6U R location, Chip would need to hit the button both on the way up and on the way down. Previously, (6U [R :R] 6U) was used to note that the RL move is also done on the way down, but notation in the form of (6U RL 6U) can suffice if there are no once-only detours within this leg (any other double detours can also be included).
If there was a blue button at 8U R that needed to be hit, then (6U [R :R] 2U [R] 4U) is the correct notation. However, if there were tanks that can move to the U location and the 10U location, where originally the U space is open and the 10U space is blocked (so Chip can walk into the corridor), then Chip would have to hit that button on the way up and on the way down, so that the notation is now (6U RL 2U RL 4U).
This can also be recursive, such that additional stages of dead ends are accommodated (kind of like multiple parentheses in math problems), but if this is inconvenient or impossible, then the bases are used. This system specifies a certain square as a base, marked by a letter, where Chip will later return to at some point. For example, 2R from the start of Chipmine is a base.
Continue to read directional notation if you still have questions, and be free to ask further. Octavarium64 20:11, November 22, 2009 (UTC)