Play a game

The library, the on-screen controls, controllers, the in-game menu, and the settings that apply to one game.

Tap a card in the library to start a game. This page covers what you can do before, during, and after a session.

The library

• Sort the list, search it, and switch between a grid and a list.
• Touch and hold a card for Info, Settings, Select multiple, and Delete.
• Select multiple turns on multiple selection, so you can delete several games at once.
• A paused game keeps its place in the library. Tap it to continue.

Settings → Appearance changes the library itself: the theme, the layout, the position of the title, and the interface haptics.

On-screen controls

Empo draws a D-pad and action buttons over the game. A small toolbar sits beside them with four buttons:

Edit mode

In edit mode you can:

• Drag the D-pad and the buttons to a new position.
• Tap a button to set its size, its opacity, and its label, or to delete it.
• Add a button. Choose an Empo action, or choose a key to send to the game. One orientation holds a maximum of 21 buttons.
• Switch the movement control between a D-pad and a joystick.
• Drag the game screen, and resize it with the corner grabbers.
• Undo the last change, or reset the layout.

Portrait and landscape hold separate layouts. Turn the device to edit the other one.

Layout profiles

A layout profile is a control layout that works for any game. Create and edit profiles at Settings → Gameplay → Layout profiles. Assign one to the open game from the in-game menu, under Layout profile.

The Automatic choice resolves in this order:

Game developers can read Ship custom controls to learn how to supply a layout with a game.

Controllers and keyboards

Empo supports Bluetooth controllers and hardware keyboards. To change a mapping, open the in-game menu and tap Controller buttons. The screen lists the controller elements (face buttons, D-pad, sticks, shoulders, and system buttons) and the keys that each one sends.

Set the scope at the top of the screen:

• This game keeps the mapping for the open game only.
• All games keeps the mapping everywhere.

A controller button can also run an Empo action, such as fast forward or the pause menu. The fast forward actions work only in games that have Fast forward on in their settings. In This game, you can pick them only after you turn on Fast forward.

Each row shows the Empo default until you override it. To put one default back, swipe the row left and tap Reset to default. To clear every override in the current scope, tap Reset to defaults at the end of the list.

The in-game menu

Pause and resume

Pause keeps the game in memory. Empo shows a frozen frame while it moves you back to the library, so the transition stays smooth. Tap the card again to continue where you stopped.

Settings → Appearance → Continue playing controls whether the library offers the paused game first.

For the engine side of the frozen frame, see pause-resume.md.

Settings for one game

Touch and hold a card, and tap Settings. These options apply to that game only. Reset to defaults removes all of them.

One game for each session

After you quit a game, Empo cannot start a different one. Force-close the app from the app switcher, and open it again.

The engine keeps one Ruby interpreter for the lifetime of the process, and the interpreter cannot restart cleanly. multi-session.md explains the constraint in full.