Editing Expedition

{{for|night expeditions in {{p4}}|Night expedition}}

[[File:PB Carrying a Gray Seedling.png|thumb|200px|A group of Pikmin carrying a grey seedling on an expedition.]]

'''Expeditions''' are a feature of {{pb}}, unlocked at [[level]] 3. They are the main way to collect [[Fruit (Pikmin Bloom)|fruits]] and [[seedling]]s, and by extension, [[nectar]] and [[Pikmin family|Pikmin]]. As the player walks around, uses [[detector]]s, and blooms [[Big Flower]]s, items will appear on the map nearby. The player can then send a group of Pikmin to walk to the item and carry it back to the player, which takes place in real time. Once the Pikmin are back, the items can be collected in the [[Pikmin Bloom interface#Garden|garden screen]].

When Pikmin are on an expedition, they appear on the [[Pikmin Bloom interface#Map|map screen]]. It is possible to follow a Pikmin squad's journey by checking the expedition in progress and selecting "View Pikmin". This will center the view of the map on the location of the Pikmin, and in this view, the health wheels of [[Mushroom battle|mushrooms]] are not visible. When running to the item, Pikmin arrange themselves in a triangular formation, and when carrying it, they are evenly spaced around it in a circle. A maximum of 8 Pikmin are shown on the map screen for an expedition, even if more Pikmin are on that expedition.

There is a chance for Pikmin on an expedition to return with a [[postcard]]. This postcard can be collected alongside the [[fruit]] or [[seedling]] the Pikmin was carrying, and will be shown on the screen, temporarily interrupting gameplay. The postcard will contain an image of the area the Pikmin collected the fruit or seedling from, and it will show them posing in that location.

 

 

There is no limit to the number of uncollected expeditions the player can have, but most expeditions expire after 3 days if not collected. Expeditions from blooming a [[Big Flower]] expire when the Big Flower stops blooming (usually after 23 hours, or 3 hours on [[Event|community days]]), and gift expeditions do not expire. Note that the expedition only needs to be ''started'' before the timer expires; the dispatched group of Pikmin will return with the item regardless of how long the expedition itself will take.

Items collectable on expeditions have 2 different kinds of [[weight]]: carrying weight and metric weight. The carrying weight is the minimum Pikmin strength needed to [[carry]] the object and hence start the expedition. The metric weight is measured in grams and is displayed by the game before each expedition, and does not correlate with the carrying weight.

 

Different items have different carrying weights and thus take a different number of Pikmin to carry. [[Red Pikmin]], [[Yellow Pikmin]], [[Blue Pikmin]], [[White Pikmin]], and [[Winged Pikmin]] have the strength to carry 1 weight unit. [[Rock Pikmin]] have a strength of 3 weight units. [[Purple Pikmin]] have a strength of 5 weight units. Below is a table of the weight of each collectable item (in weight units) and the maximum number of Pikmin that can carry it (as a number of Pikmin).

!Carrying weight

An expedition has 2 stages. First, the Pikmin run from the player's location to the location of the item. Then, they pick up the item and carry it back to the player. These stages take different lengths of time, and the speed of the Pikmin in each is calculated differently. The time it takes for the Pikmin to carry the item back also depends on the player's movement, as the expedition will not be over until the Pikmin reach the player's current location. If the player moves away from the expedition, it will take more time, and if they move towards it, it will take less time. This can make the time estimate from the beginning of the expedition inaccurate.

Each Pikmin type has 2 attributes that go into speed calculation: its carrying strength, and its time modifier, as listed in the table below.

!Time modifier

The running speed of the group in meters per second is equal to 4 divided by the average time modifier of all the Pikmin in the group. For example, a group with equal numbers of [[Red Pikmin]] and [[White Pikmin]] has an average time modifier of 0.75, and 4 divided by 0.75 is approximately 5.333, so this group will run at about 5.333 meters per second.

The carrying speed of the group in meters per second is equal to the total strength of the group, divided by the carrying weight of the object being carried, divided by the average time modifier of all the Pikmin in the group. For example, a [[Fruit (Pikmin Bloom)|fruit]] (with a weight of 6), carried by 3 [[Blue Pikmin]] and 2 [[Purple Pikmin]] (with a total carrying strength of 13 and an average time modifier of 1.1), will be carried at 13 / 6 / 1.1 = about 1.9697 meters per second.

These speeds can be used to find the approximate time of each section of the expedition, by dividing the distance of the item (in meters) by the speed of the group. The game's time estimate is calculated by adding the times for each section and rounding it up to the next minute.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*[[Mushroom battle]]