FAQ

The Library's Add game shows what Tessellate knows how to split: games with a built-in pattern, games that already play together on one screen (native co-op), emulators, and patterns converted from the Nucleus hub. Anything else can still be added as an .exe; whether it splits well depends on the game.

Patterns (previously called handlers). A pattern is a small file that tells Tessellate how to start one game for several players: which exe, how many players, and how to keep their saves and settings apart. Some are built in, new ones come from the pattern feed, and Settings > Patterns & hub lists them all.

Press a button on it. Tessellate remembers whose pad it is and hands it back to the same player when it wakes, without restarting anything.

Press the panic key (Ctrl+Shift+Q unless you changed it in Settings > Party night). It ends the whole session like Stop, from inside any game.

On the game's page, open Advanced and pick High performance so every copy uses the fast graphics card. The Health page warns when a laptop is in a power-saving graphics mode.

Each player gets their own saves where the game allows (Settings > Playing > Separate saves), and Player 1 can keep the real ones. Settings > Backups & moving makes zip backups of everyone's saves, by hand or after every session.

Tessellate starts games with controller hooks, which antivirus tools sometimes dislike, and the installer isn't signed with a paid certificate. The Health page and Settings > Steam emulator explain the exclusions to add when a game or Tessellate itself gets blocked.

Tessellate looks for a new version when it starts and twice a day, shows what's new, and installs only when you say so, never while a game is running. You can turn the check off or look right away in Settings > Updates & about.

Settings > Backups & moving > Export makes one .tessellate file with your profiles, settings, lineups, art and patterns (play history if you want). Install Tessellate on the other PC, then Import it there.

The Health page checks controllers, graphics, display and games. For a written record, turn on Session log (Settings > Library & art > More options): each session's log goes to the data folder's logs folder, which is what to share when asking for help.