Editing Pluck

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[[File:Pluck.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[Captain Olimar]] and [[The President]] plucking some Pikmin.]]

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'''Plucking''' (also known as '''picking'''<ref>"''Button {{button|gcn|A}} '''Pick a planted Pikmin'''''" &ndash; Page 8 of the ''Pikmin'' instruction manual.</ref>) is how [[leader]]s uproot [[Pikmin family|Pikmin]] planted on the ground. When an [[Onion]] expels some Pikmin seeds, these float gently to the ground, where they become buried. Afterwards, a Pikmin seed sprout appears, and from this point forward, the leader is able to pluck it. There is a small delay until the seeds are ready to be plucked, but it is only present in ''[[Pikmin (game)|Pikmin]]'' and ''[[Pikmin 2]]''.

To pluck a Pikmin, the player should move the leader near a Pikmin sprout and press {{button|gcn|A|wii|A}} in the first two games, and {{button|wii|A|wiiu|A|wiiu|PCA}} in ''[[Pikmin 3]]'' ({{button|wiiu|L}} in Stylus mode). Upon doing so, the leader will crouch down and grab hold of the sprout. After pulling for a bit, the Pikmin will eventually pop out, with a back-flip in the air, and join the other Pikmin in the leader's party.

 

In ''Pikmin'', if the [[camera]]'s distance is not set to the closest, it will zoom in on Captain Olimar when he begins plucking, and will return to the previous zoom setting some seconds after he stops. This only happens on the first and second [[day]]s, so presumably, it was implemented in order to better show new players how plucking works, up close.

In the first two main games in the [[Pikmin series|series]], the player must continuously press the pluck button in order to activate the automatic mode. Unearthing Pikmin this way also activates the fastest plucking speed, explained below. If the player stops pressing the button, the leader will stop plucking automatically, after the current sprout. The walk from one seed to the next can also be canceled by pressing {{button|gcn|B|wii|B}}. In addition, it is not possible to switch leaders while plucking.

Technically, although the recommended method is to rapidly press the pluck button<ref>"''I guess I'll try to get it all done at once by <span style="color:red">repeatedly tapping {{button|gcn|A|wii|A}}</span> until I pick all the Pikmin from the ground.''" &ndash; Captain Olimar in ''[[Pikmin (game)|Pikmin]]''.</ref><ref>"''Reviewing Olimar's report, it seems '''repeatedly tapping {{button|gcn|A|wii|A}}''' lets one rapidly pluck Pikmin sprouts.''" &ndash; The Ship in ''[[Pikmin 2]]''.</ref>, all that is needed in order to trigger the automatic and quick pluck of the next Pikmin is to press the pluck button once while the leader is grabbing onto the current Pikmin sprout. This is needlessly more precise than the recommended method, which explains why the games and manuals describe the [[Controls#Button mashing|button mashing]] way.

In ''[[Pikmin 3]]'', this is the only mode of plucking. Pressing the button once near a sprout will automatically start the process, where the leader(s) pluck all Pikmin, one after the other. During this time, the player can switch control to an idling leader and handle tasks with them. Pressing {{button|wiiu|B|wii|B|wiiu|PCB}} ({{button|wiiu|ZL}} in Stylus mode) while the active leader is doing this will make them stop their task.

{{ToDo|Time comparisons would be nice.}}

Plucking each individual Pikmin is a tedious task, so it is recommended to use a few tricks and mechanics that speed up the process, specially when combined.

There are two main plucking speeds, which depend on the animation the leader performs. At their slowest, leaders near a sprout will grab on, pull for roughly a second, and pluck the Pikmin out of the ground. If they are in a plucking mode that makes them move automatically to the next sprout, they will do so, and repeat the same slow animation. The faster plucking speed has the leader merely grab the sprout, throw their arms up in a hurry, and quickly unearth the sprout, roughly twice as fast as the slower speed. This animation can only be achieved with automatic plucking, so the leader will automaticly move to the next sprout and, again, pluck them with this fast animation.

In ''Pikmin 3'', when the player presses the pluck button while their leader is near a sprout, the automatic pluck mode will take place, using the fastest plucking speeds &ndash; the first Pikmin is still plucked using the slow animation. Nevertheless, it is possible to activate the slower plucking animations. If a leader is thrown at some Pikmin sprouts, directed to them via the [[Go Here!]] function, or left idle near some sprouts while the player is controlling a different leader, they will automatically begin plucking, but using only the slow animation for every sprout. This should be taken into account when the player wants Pikmin sprouts plucked quickly. In order to override this, the player may switch to a leader that is plucking slowly, cancel the pluck, and then restart it manually, forcing them to use the fastest animation.

If playing [[Challenge Mode (Pikmin 2)|Challenge Mode]] or [[Mission Mode]] in cooperative mode, it is naturally faster to have both players pluck at once, specially because both leaders can use the fast pluck mechanic. It is, however, normally recommended for the other leader to do something else in the level, in order to maximize the multitasking potential.

If possible, plucking should be avoided altogether: if delivering something into an Onion will cause it to spit seeds, it might be faster to withdraw some Pikmin from the Onions before that, so that the number of Pikmin in the field is as close to 100 as possible. This is because the Onion cannot expel seeds if there are already 100 Pikmin in the field, storing them inside instead. It is usually faster to withdraw the Pikmin to the 100-Pikmin cap, deliver the item to the Onion, and, if the Pikmin the player wants are from a different type, re-store the previously withdrawn Pikmin, and withdraw out Pikmin from the type of the receiving Onion.

===Pluckaphone===

{{main|Pluckaphone}}

By far, the fastest way to pluck Pikmin in ''Pikmin 2'' is by using the [[whistle]], after the [[Pluckaphone]] has been obtained. This [[Exploration Kit]] treasure allows the current leader to uproot Pikmin merely by whistling at them. The [[Mega Tweeter]] can also expand the whistle's range, making the task even easier.

In ''Pikmin 3'', a peculiarity makes it possible to pluck Pikmin much faster than normal, with the player-controlled leader. The pluck button makes the leader pull out the sprouts, while the [[whistle]] button ({{button|wiiu|ZL}} in Stylus mode) makes the leader cancel the task altogether, regardless of what they were doing when the button was pressed. This means that it is possible to stop instantly even if they are grabbing onto and pulling out a Pikmin, something not possible in the previous games.

In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U]]'', Captain Olimar's stage entrance animation has him crash into the stage from the [[S.S. Dolphin]] and pluck three Pikmin from the ground. His neutral special attack allows him to do the same mid-battle, but only one Pikmin at a time &ndash; this move has no effect in mid-air, as a result. In ''Brawl'', Olimar may only have six of his Pikmin on the battlefield at once, but three in ''Smash 4''. If he already has the maximum amount of Pikmin out, the move will fail.

Plucked Pikmin are automatically added to his group. In ''Brawl'', the Pikmin that are plucked are picked at [[Randomness|random]], although slightly influenced by the type of terrain (water-based platforms have a higher chance of giving [[Blue Pikmin]]); in ''Smash 4'', they are plucked sequentially in order. Plucked [[White Pikmin|White]] and [[Purple Pikmin]] make a slightly shorter back-flip, which, when used near a ledge, can allow the player to pluck several Pikmin in a row, and let the Red, Yellow and Blue ones fall off the platform, leaving only the remaining two types.

*[[Throw]]

*[[Punch]]

*[[Whistle]]

*[[Controls]]