--- title: Play a game description: The library, the on-screen controls, controllers, the in-game menu, and the settings that apply to one game. sidebar: icon: gamepad-2 --- 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: | Button | What it does | | --------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- | | Show keyboard | Shows the keyboard, for games that ask you to type. | | Edit controls | Starts edit mode. | | Hide controls | Hides the overlay. Tap again to show it. | | More options | Opens the in-game menu. | ### 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: 1. **Game layout** The layout that the game ships in its `controls.json` file, if it has one. 2. **Default profile** The profile that you marked as the default, if you have one. 3. **Empo default** The layout that Empo ships. Game developers can read [Ship custom controls](/controls-format) 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. :::note iOS reserves some controller buttons, such as Home and Guide. A reserved button never reaches the game. ::: ## The in-game menu | Entry | What it does | | ------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Show cheats | Sets the `$CHEATS` flag. Games that read the flag react to it. Others do not. | | Diagnostics overlay | Shows frame timings and engine state over the game. | | Controller buttons | Opens the controller and keyboard mapping. | | Layout profile | Picks the control layout for this game. | | Pause | Freezes the game and returns to the library. | | Quit | Ends the session. | ## 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`](https://github.com/mateo-m/empo-app/blob/main/ios/Empo/docs/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. | Group | Options | | ----------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Display | Smooth scaling, fixed aspect ratio, font scale, solid fonts. | | Layout | The layout profile for this game. | | Performance | Frame skip. | | Engine | Postload scripts, path cache, in-game keyboard, touch acts as mouse, JoiPlay compatibility, network access. | | Gameplay | Fast forward, and its speed. | ## 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`](https://github.com/mateo-m/empo-app/blob/main/ios/Empo/docs/multi-session.md) explains the constraint in full.