Day: Difference between revisions

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The [[Pikmin series|''Pikmin'' games]] take place over the course of several '''days'''. Dangerous creatures roam at nighttime, so exploration on the [[PNF-404|Pikmin planet]] only happens during the daytime. The number of days spent on the planet is also important in some games: in {{p1}}, [[Captain Olimar]] has 30 days before his life-support systems fail and he's stranded on the planet permanently, and in {{p3}} the number of days left is determined by how many bottles of [[fruit]] juice are left, for a maximum of 99 days. {{p2}} has no day limit, and in {{npcp1}} and ''Pikmin 3'', the player is given the ability to go back in time and retry from a certain day of their adventure. A common challenge run in the ''Pikmin'' games is to [[Challenge run#Low-day|complete the game taking the least amount of days possible]].

The [[HUD#Sun Meter|Sun Meter]] at the top of the [[HUD]] indicates the amount of daylight left, so effectively, the time the player has left on the current day. A number on the top right corner indicates the current day. In the [[Story Mode]] of ''Pikmin'' games, a day lasts between 13 and 18 real-life minutes, depending on the game, version, and [[difficulty]] mode, as explained [[#Durations|here]]. Alternative game modes have days with varying lengths. As the day goes by, the lighting on the area changes much like it does on Earth, but enemy behavior and area layout remains constant all throughout.

Any important objects that are moved from their original spot like a [[ship part]], [[treasure]] (except in [[cave]]s in ''Pikmin 2''), and [[fruit]] will remain in the new spot on any following day. When a smaller enemy is killed, it respawns in its original place on the very next day. This is not true for larger enemies like [[Red Bulborb]]s, which take more days to respawn. Additionally, if an enemy's corpse is not brought back to an [[Onion]] before the end of the day, the corpse will disappear. Some enemies only appear in certain days. Some of the most notable enemies with this characteristic are the [[Smoky Progg]], which disappears after day 14, the [[Ujadani]], that only appear every 30 days, and the [[Goolix]] and [[Mamuta]] on [[The Impact Site]], that appear in alternating days. For a list of all enemies that appear in exclusive days, please read the list of enemies on the corresponding [[area]] article.  

[[File:Clock.png|thumb|350px|The Sun Meter in each ''Pikmin'' game.]]

When the sunset arrives, all leaders and Pikmin must stop what they are doing, retreat into the [[Onion]]s and ship, and spend the night in low-orbit, due to the fact that many predators become active at night. Additionally, in {{p2}}, the [[Hocotate ship]] needs to be in low orbit to communicate with [[Hocotate]].

When the sunset arrives, any Pikmin that are considered to be "safe" will be able to board their Onion, spend the night above the surface, and be ready to be picked up the following day. When the day ends, be it normally or from the [[Menu#Pause|pause menu]], Pikmin will be considered safe if:

* They are close to an activated Onion. (What counts as being 'close' is only shown in ''Pikmin 3''.)

In addition to these, any Pikmin that is buried will stay where they are buried, and will not be harmed over the night. Any other Pikmin that isn't safe or buried will be left behind on the surface, and will be eaten by enemies during the night.

While it can be difficult to tell if a Pikmin is considered safe in the first 2 games, ''Pikmin 3'' added some ways to know for sure. A large white circle appears around all activated Onions on the area, indicating that Pikmin within it will be safe.  Although unactivated Onions do not show the circle, the safety radius still exists, and if a dormant Onion is activated after the sunset warning period begins, the circle will still not appear, but nearby Pikmin will still be counted as safe. This radius can also be seen on the [[radar]]. A small counter will appear on the top-right corner of the [[HUD]] to alert the player of how many Pikmin are in danger of being left behind. On the [[KopPad]], what types of Pikmin that are idle are displayed near the top of the map, along with how many. Pikmin icons will also appear larger on the radar when the sunset is approaching, and the icons of those that are in risk of being left on the surface will also appear flashing on the radar. Finally, when the player attempts to finish the day from the pause menu, a warning will show up saying that Pikmin will be left behind, if there are indeed any Pikmin considered not safe when the player tried to end the day.

Some time after the warning, a countdown from 10 takes place. Each digit takes a few seconds to pass, as explained [[#Durations|here]], and is presented on-screen, slowly fading away to make way for the next one. 0 also appears, and the day doesn't end until after the 0 disappears completely. Interestingly, in ''Pikmin'', after the counter reaches 4, the player is no longer able to interact with the [[S.S. Dolphin]].

When the countdown finishes, or when the day is ended with the [[Menu#Pause|pause menu]], two [[Cutscene|cinematic sequences]] take place. The first scene starts with all alive leaders and safe Pikmin following the leaders walking up to the landing site in a single group led by the leader who was selected when the day ended. The main leader then [[dismiss]]es and orders every Pikmin to get on their Onions or ship. Any Pikmin that is near an Onion, but away from the landing site will still climb to their Onion, despite not being shown. Any Pikmin that are buried will remain buried in the same spot, and can be [[pluck]]ed on another day. After all the Pikmin have entered their Onion, the leader(s) are beamed into the ship.

[[File:Spaceship Pikmin3.png|thumb|right|The [[S.S. Drake]] and the Onion lifting off in ''[[Pikmin 3]]''.]]

The second cinematic shows the ship preparing for lift off, while wild creatures draw near. If any Pikmin were not considered safe, they'll be shown running towards the ship in an attempt to be saved. However, it is too late, and the wandering enemies will begin to eat them. The ship then takes off, and the [[Menu#Sunset|stats for that day]] are shown. This is when the player may [[Saved game|save]] the game, and read [[Olimar's voyage log]], [[mail]], or the [[Pikmin 3 voyage log|Koppaites' voyage log]]. The following is a list of enemies that appear in each area in ''Pikmin'' and ''Pikmin 3'', given that in ''Pikmin 2'', the game picks randomly from the enemies that can appear in the area, with more Pikmin left behind resulting in more enemies:

*''Pikmin''

**[[The Impact Site]]: [[Red Bulborb]]s.

**[[The Forest of Hope]]: Red Bulborbs.

**[[The Forest Navel]]: [[Wollywog]]s.

**[[The Distant Spring]]: [[Shearwig]]s.

**[[The Final Trial]]: Red Bulborbs.

*''Pikmin 3''

**[[Tropical Wilds]]: [[Whiptongue Bulborb]].

**[[Garden of Hope]]: Red Bulborb.

**[[Distant Tundra]]: [[Spotty Bulbear]].

**[[Twilight River]]: [[Orange Bulborb]].

**[[Formidable Oak]]: Red Bulborb.

|image  = EndofDayTrophySSBU.jpeg

The exact duration of a day, the sunset stage, etc. varies between game, between versions, and between [[difficulty]] modes. Because the European [[region|version]] of the GameCube original {{p1}} runs at a lower [[frame]]rate, events actually take longer than in other versions of the game. The following table lists the real-world time that some states last for, in a <code>mm:ss</code> format.

! US/JP ''Pikmin''

! EU ''Pikmin''

The day is measured from the end of the landing [[cutscene]]'s to the start of the sunset cutscene. Half day is measured from the moment the end of the landing cutscene to the moment the mid-day chime plays. The sunset is measured from the moment the warning appears on-screen to the start of the sunset cutscene. The countdown is measured from the moment the first digit appears on-screen to the start of the sunset cutscene. These times are measured without pausing, and without doing anything throughout the day, to ensure there are virtually no lag [[frame]]s.

{{todo|Write an expansive list of changes.}}

The first day of each game is a bit special in that it serves as a tutorial of sorts. Because of this, some of the game's rules are changed for this day only:

* There are only harmless enemies present. Although there is a [[Dwarf Red Bulborb]] in ''Pikmin 2'', it specifically cannot eat Pikmin or bite leaders.

In addition, in ''Pikmin 3'', the player can go back to any previous day, and going back to day 1 effectively resets the story: some otherwise permanent information, like all charted locations of an area on the [[radar]], and the code used for the [[Secret File]]s, are reset when the player goes to day 1, finishes it, and saves the game.

In ''Pikmin 3'', almost all days will have a random chance of rain, or in the case of the [[Distant Tundra]], snow. This change only has aesthetic impacts:

*Rain drops and snowflakes fall from the sky, naturally.

*Rainy days are darker (but not snowy days).

*The area's [[Music in Pikmin 3|music]] is replaced with a moody theme.

*Wet surfaces and creatures are considerably shinier.

The weather change is randomly picked when the area is loading, meaning that if the day is restarted from the [[Menu#Pause|pause menu]], it could load with a different weather condition.

Some days will be forced to have a specific weather:

*The first day will always be sunny.

*The first time [[Alph]] and [[Brittany]] land on the Distant Tundra, it will always be snowing.

*On the days when the [[Quaggled Mireclops]] or the [[Plasm Wraith]] are ready to be fought, the weather is forcefully rainy. This helps set the mood and, for the Mireclops' case, helps justify the creation of puddles on its swampy arena. Even if the boss is fought on a sunny day, the battle will happen in exactly the same way, however.

Additionally, in {{hp}} there are [[Minor obstacles#Dew droplet|dew droplets]] that are very similar to rain. However, they aren't just aesthetic, and act as [[obstacle]]s.

In ''Pikmin'', the shadows under [[Pikmin family|Pikmin]] and [[Olimar]] point to different directions as the day goes by. At the start of the day, they point to the southwest, at midday, to the south, and near the end, to the southeast. This is similar to sun-cast shadows on planet Earth, given that the sun rises on the east (and hence, the shadows are cast to the west), and sets on the west. In order to avoid rendering too many shadows at once and slowing the game down, Pikmin shadows are completely omitted if there are 51 or more Pikmin on the field.

In ''Pikmin 2'', the shadow limit does not exist, but shadows do not change direction as the day progresses, and are cast directly under the leaders or Pikmin. In ''Pikmin 3'', all objects cast shadows, but shadows mainly remain directly below objects to more easily judge location and depth; they only elongate very near [[Day#Sunset|sunset]].

In {{p3d}}, there is a [[badge]] the player can gain from spending days on PNF-404:

Leftbehind.jpg|[[Red Pikmin|Red]] and [[Rock Pikmin]] being left behind.

*The sunset [[cutscenes]] cannot be skipped in the US [[Region|version]] of ''Pikmin'', but they can in the European version, as well as all ''[[New Play Control!]]'' ports.

*In ''Pikmin 3'', thanks to the KopPad, it is possible to watch the sunset{{cite youtube|s2DPSJa6l_Q|demonstrating how it is possible to watch the sunset in ''Pikmin 3''}}

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