Editing Pikmin limit

{{game icons|p=y|p2=y|p3=y|p4=y|hp=y}}

[[File:Pikminology8.jpg|thumb|250px|The [[data file]] explaining the limit.]]

In the {{pg}}, there is a '''limit''' to the number of [[Pikmin family|Pikmin]] that can be on the field at once. [[#Limits|In most situations]], this is 100, although in ''Pikmin 4'' this limit is initially 20. Only Pikmin that are out of the [[Onion]] count for these limits. In ''Pikmin 4'' [[caves]], wild Pikmin can be found and can allow the player's squad to exceed the limit set on the surface, though when the cave is exited any extraneous Pikmin are sent to the Onion.

With this limit, the player cannot withdraw Pikmin from Onions such that the on-area total surpasses this limit, as the [[Onion menu]] stops them from selecting any more after that point. When an object is delivered to an Onion, Pikmin seeds come out, which count towards the on-area total. The moment the limit is reached, any new Pikmin are instead created inside the Onion.{{cite quote|I have made yet another Pikmin-related discovery. Just when I was about to exceed 100 Pikmin in the field, the Onion stopped expelling seeds, yet the total number of Pikmin continued to climb. It seems that once there are 100 Pikmin in the field, subsequent seeds get stored inside the Onion. Thus, no more than 100 Pikmin can be in the field at one time in any area.|Captain Olimar|[[Olimar's monologs|a monolog]]}} This can be used to the player's advantage, given that filling out the Pikmin limit and delivering the object is a faster way to obtain ready Pikmin, when compared to letting the seeds come out and [[pluck]]ing them. To note is that when entering a [[cave]], all Pikmin that are in the area, but do not follow the [[leader]]s inside, are instantly sent to their Onions. Wild Pikmin in the area that have yet to be discovered count towards the total as well. In {{p1}}, the on-area counter on the [[HUD]] gently pulsates red when the limit is reached.

In most games, the Pikmin limit is 100, but different games, game modes, or circumstances can cause this value to be different.

 

== Reasons ==

The mechanic exists for a few assumed reasons:

In addition to the reasons stated above, the mechanic is also used as a minor puzzle element due to [[Purple Pikmin]]. Because they have the [[carrying]] strength and weight of 10 Pikmin, and because some [[treasure]]s and [[obstacle]]s require more than 100 Pikmin in strength or weight, the player is forced to use Purple Pikmin.

The additional limit on the Pikmin types added in ''Pikmin 4'' may be to make players decide in advance which Pikmin to utilize for a given task rather than simply taking a mixture of all of them.

== Conflict cases ==

{{game help|p4|If an Onion is discovered before any Wild Pikmin of that color are found, a seed will be generated. Test the conflict cases present in this game.}}

There are times where Pikmin have to be added to the area automatically, without the player requesting it directly, such as when discovering a new [[Onion]] in {{p1}}, which causes the Onion to spit a seed. If the Pikmin limit has already been reached when this happens, the game will take some action to stop the limit from being passed.

=== Onion discovery ===

When new types of [[Onion]] are discovered without nearby wild Pikmin, they will eject one Pikmin seed. If the Pikmin limit has already been reached, one Pikmin will be automatically and instantly returned to its respective Onion. The rules that decide what Pikmin will be chosen vary by game, and in some scenarios, special actions need to be taken because of the Pikmin's sudden disappearance.

 

 

 

==== Common scenarios ====

Most of the time, the Pikmin that is sent to its Onion is the one farthest away from the newly-discovered Onion. If this Pikmin cannot be chosen, the game will skip to the second farthest one, and so on. The following table details what happens, depending on the state of the Pikmin. To note is that Pikmin type, [[maturity]], and [[ultra-spicy spray|spicy status]] do not play a role in deciding the Pikmin.

 

 

| ...is [[carrying]]...

| ...it {{yes|can be removed}}. The game will react just as if the Pikmin got called, regardless of the number of other carriers.

| ...it {{yes|can be removed}}. The game will react just as if the Pikmin got called, regardless of the number of other carriers.

| N/A (since Olimar and the Pikmin he's holding have to be close to the Onion to activate it)

| N/A (since Olimar and the Pikmin he's holding have to be close to the Onion to activate it)

| ...it {{yes|can be removed}}. The Pikmin is released when the cutscene starts.

| ...it {{yes|can be removed}}. The hazard vanishes exactly when the new Pikmin's seed pops out.

| ...is working on an amount-dependent task (e.g. lifting a [[bamboo gate]])...

 

 

 

The Red, Yellow, and Blue Onions in ''Pikmin 2'' and the Red, Rock, and Yellow Onions in ''Pikmin 3'' are discovered alongside wild Pikmin, which count towards the limit. The counter on the [[HUD]] will not tally them until the Onion is deemed "discovered". While it is impossible to get close to the Pikmin limit with the Red Onion in either game or the Yellow Onion in ''Pikmin 3'', it is possible to do so with the other Onions (although unrealistic in the case of the Rock Onion). If the player attempts to grow enough Pikmin to cross the limit, counting wild Pikmin, the cutscene that plays when the maximum amount of Pikmin are first grown will play, although the wild Pikmin will still not be counted on the HUD. In ''Pikmin 2'', the [[Hocotate ship]] will draw attention to this.

 

In ''Pikmin'', when a [[Pikmin extinction]] occurs, the Onion generates and ejects a new seed of any extinct types at the start of the following [[day]]. If there are already 100 Pikmin on the field, the seed is instead kept inside the Onion. This can only happen if the player lands on an area with 100 buried Pikmin.{{cite youtube|9Lf8Z50ByBA|showing the Onion's behavior on a field with 100 Pikmin after an extinction}}

 

In ''Pikmin 2'', it is very difficult, but not impossible, to have 100 Pikmin present on the field when the Onion needs to eject a seed because of an extinction. When one has 99 sprouts, trying to bury another Pikmin via [[Mamuta]] or [[Swooping Snitchbug]] will just knock the Pikmin back. But by sending one Pikmin to [[carry]] something that generates a good number of Pikmin to an Onion (like a [[Shearwig]] corpse), and then ordering said Pikmin to go inside the Onion or ship as soon as it's done delivering, it will manage to be inside by the time the Onion ejects the 100th sprout's seed. With this 100 sprout setup, if a Pikmin type different from these sprouts becomes extinct whilst in another area, and the player lands at the area with the 100 sprouts on the next day, the behavior will not be like in the other games. Instead, the sprout that is farthest from the extinct type's Onion will be instantly sent to its own Onion, and then the extinct type's Onion will eject a new seed freely.

 

In ''Pikmin 3'', Pikmin are automatically generated during the day, immediately after the last of its type is killed. However, if there are no Pikmin of a certain type at the end of the day (say, due to [[sunset]]), and the player lands in an area with buried Pikmin of that type, no additional Pikmin will be created. If there are no Pikmin of that type buried in the area, one seed will be created, and if all the Pikmin on the field are buried, one seed will be stored automatically in the Onion.

 

[[Queen Candypop Bud]]s receive one Pikmin of any type and spit out 9 seeds of the color it displayed at the time. Any new seeds whose creation would make the total inside the sublevel go over 100 will simply not be spat out. The flower will wilt regardless of how many Pikmin come out. If buried Pikmin exist on the surface, and 100 Pikmin are procured underground using Queen Candypop Buds, then the excess Pikmin in the leader's group will be automatically returned to the Onion when the cave is exited. The type of Pikmin returned matches the Pikmin sprouts on the surface.

=== Bulbmin ===

When entering a sublevel with [[Bulbmin]] on it, the game attempts to spawn 10 juveniles per every adult Bulbmin. Any juvenile Bulbmin that would make the total (player's Pikmin + new Bulbmin) surpass 100 will not spawn. This means that it is possible for a sublevel to have mature Bulbmin without any young Bulbmin following behind. As such, if the player intends to obtain Bulbmin, they should enter the sublevel with less than 100 Pikmin on their party. Interestingly, the on-area counter only counts the Bulbmin when they're [[whistle]]d to the group.

== Trivia ==

* [[Olimar's monologs|Olimar's monolog]] in which he talks of the 100 Pikmin limit appears once per area.

* The Pikmin counter can be seen reading 110 on-area Pikmin multiple times in early development footage of ''Pikmin''.{{cite youtube|7x245evHAhQ|of the E3 2001 trailer, with the counter reading 110 on-area Pikmin|m=1|s=10}} It is unknown if the limit was set to be higher than 100, or if there simply was no limit at the time.

* In ''[[Pikmin 3 Deluxe]]'', when playing on normal or hard [[difficulty]], the player can place more than 60 Pikmin sprouts in an area, finish the day, switch to the ultra-spicy difficulty, and then enter that area again in order to have more Pikmin than the limit would allow in the ultra-spicy difficulty. When using the [[Onion menu]], the game will not let the player increase the squad numbers while the calculated field number is higher than 60, but will let players decrease the squad numbers.

== See also ==

* [[Pikmin extinction]]

* [[Onion]]

* [[Pluck]]

== References ==