How often are solar eclipses supposed to occur?

[Dutchygamer]

With the 1.20 update solar eclipses got introduced, and with my SP world I had my first one a week back. It was very short (just 10 seconds) but still noticeable. However, ever since then I keep getting these mini eclipses almost every following day, around the same time as the first one (~09:00). The intensity and duration vary; one time it only darkens slightly for a few seconds, other times it becomes dark as night with mobs spawning for 20 seconds. This behaviour has now lasted for almost an entire ingame month.

I am now wondering if this is the intended behaviour, and whether other people have also encountered this? My world spawn (and home) is in a warm climate (the one above default), so I'm not absurdly far north or south if VS takes distance from equator into account for solar eclipses.

[Maelstrom]

Eclipses shouldn't be that common.  I think I've had 3 in about 1.5 game years.  Probably a bug.  Be good to report it on github.

[Thorfinn]

Welcome to the forums, @Dutchygamer

No, that sounds weird. Are you sure they are all eclipses? When you look at the sun, the moon is partially or fully occluding it?

Clouds can make it dark enough for drifters to spawn, particularly if the fog is heavy. Not sure that was intended, but...

I go ages without an eclipse (or at least noticing one), then will get a couple over the course of a game month. I have not bothered to look into the mechanics. so I don't know if that's normal behavior or not.

[Dutchygamer]

7 hours ago, Maelstrom said:

Eclipses shouldn't be that common.  I think I've had 3 in about 1.5 game years.  Probably a bug.  Be good to report it on github.

I will do that

6 hours ago, Thorfinn said:

Welcome to the forums, @Dutchygamer

No, that sounds weird. Are you sure they are all eclipses? When you look at the sun, the moon is partially or fully occluding it?

Clouds can make it dark enough for drifters to spawn, particularly if the fog is heavy. Not sure that was intended, but...

I go ages without an eclipse (or at least noticing one), then will get a couple over the course of a game month. I have not bothered to look into the mechanics. so I don't know if that's normal behavior or not.

I have to admit I haven't looked at the sun when it happened; living in a gigantic redwood forest doesn't help here. However, it turning dark as a night all of a sudden seemed to me to be a clear indication it was an eclipse, and not just clouds / fog.

[LadyWYT]

I know sometimes the lighting engine will derp and go from a nice evening twilight to pitch black instantly. That also happens during an eclipse, however, an eclipse will only last a couple of seconds before switching back to daylight.

As for how often eclipses occur...in temperate climate zones they seem to occur about twice a year for a couple of days in the spring and fall, on standard settings anyway. They're supposed to happen whenever the moon blocks the sun. In my experience, they seem inclined to happen either earlier in the morning, or on towards evening.

On 3/14/2025 at 4:38 PM, Dutchygamer said:

However, ever since then I keep getting these mini eclipses almost every following day, around the same time as the first one (~09:00). The intensity and duration vary; one time it only darkens slightly for a few seconds, other times it becomes dark as night with mobs spawning for 20 seconds. This behaviour has now lasted for almost an entire ingame month.

Yeah, that kind of frequency doesn't sound right. Have you tried going north/south to change your latitude, and see if it still occurs? I don't know that there's a "perfect spot" regarding latitude that you could get eclipses almost all the time in-game, but I suppose it's potentially possible.

[Dutchygamer]

Apparently this is the intended way for now but will get reworked with 1.21 https://github.com/anegostudios/VintageStory-Issues/issues/5531