User:Espyo/Emergence Cave run

This will be used to log the times I take to get from the onions to the Emergence Cave. I'll be writing this as I go, so never mind if this looks a bit sketchy. After gathering all the data for all the scenarios and details, a final estimated time will be concluded. Fast players can likely complete the whole challenge (Atlas included) in that time. Let us begin.

All times include unskippable cutscenes, and the skipping if skippable cutscenes, if any. The times are also rounded.

The experiment starts assuming the game is being completed in as short time as possible since the very start. As such, I won't be waiting for the Red Pikmin to flower in day 1. Completed day 1, but I didn't time it; Charles Griffin got 5:25, so I suppose 6:00 for the first day is a good time to use. Got 280 Pokos.

For the 2nd day, I'm going to grow as many Pikmin as possible, 70. I need them for the Spherical Atlas and the rest of the treasures. A big army will also help take down the gate and enemies faster. I gather all available pellets from the start. Then I squish the bag, kill both enemies at once, return and get the recently created 5-pellet. Then I tear down the wall, and enter the Cave. All of this is done as fast as possible. I did it in 6 minutes.

The first floor is cleared, and completed in 1:30, as well as the 2nd floor, which was completed in 3:30. I only created 4 Purple Pikmin, because it's the minimum necessary to carry the Atlas. They're too slow, so I don't want them. 502 Pokos earned in the cave. After that, day 2 is concluded.

3rd day. From here on out, I only take 50 Red Pikmin with me. From the start of the day, I take 40 seconds to enter the cave (including the "new day" skippable cutscenes). 38 is quite possible, though, I got some trouble with some Pikmin. The first floor took me 50 seconds. I took 2 minutes in the 2nd floor. 22 Pokos won.

After being spit from the geyser, I took 24 seconds to reach the cave. This means that it takes 24 seconds on each trip from the Onions to the Cave, after exiting it. In other words, all trips except for the first.

Finally, on the 4th day, I took 34 seconds to enter the cave. This time there were no cutscenes, and this is the time presumed for the rest of the days.

Ok, time to make some calculations!

• Day 2) 6:00 + 1:30 + 3:30 = 11 minutes.
• Day 3, first trip) 0:40 + 0:50 + 2:00 = 3:30 minutes, 0:40 day time.
• Day 3, 2nd trip) 0:24 + 0:50 + 2:00 = 3:14 minutes, 0:24 day time.

From here on, each trip takes 0:24, and is the same as the previous one (day 3, 2nd trip). Taking into account that each day lasts 13 minutes, if we remove the time from the first trip, we get 12:20. That means one can take ~30.8 more trips until the time is up. Assuming only 30 trips are made, plus 1, the initial one, the amount of Pokos earned in the 3rd day is 682. Real time taken on the 3rd day: 3:30 + 3:14 * 30 = 1:40:30.

For the other days, the first trip isn't as slow, but it's still different from the following ones, as the player still needs to take out the Pikmin from the Onion. The first full trip of each new day takes 0:34 + 0:50 + 2:00, then, which is 3:24 minutes, 0:34 day time. With the remaining time, 12:26, one can make ~31.1 trips. That means that, with the initial trip, every day after the 3rd can have 32 trips. Which means that the profit can be 704 Pokos each day after the 3rd. Real time taken on the 4th+ day: 3:24 + 3:14 * 30 = 1:40:24.

Recap:

• On day 1, one can make 280 Pokos.
• On day 2, one can take 11 minutes real-time, and make 502 Pokos.
• On day 3, one can take 1:40:30 real-time, and make 682 Pokos.
• On days 4 and after, one can take 1:40:24 real-time, and make 704 Pokos.

280 + 502 + 682 = 1464 Pokos for the 1st 3 days. Each day thereafter wields 704 Pokos. 10000 - 1464 = 8536. This, the number of debt left on the 4th+ days, divided by the profit of each day, equals 8536 / 704 = 12.125. The EC run can be completed in as short as 13 in-game days. The real time is 06:00 + 11:00 + 3:30 + 1:40:30 + (1:40:24 * 12.125) = 22:18:21, with cutscenes, skipped or unskippable.