Why am I getting this error message: “Couldn’t Connect to Server"?

Some users may have trouble connecting to the game because the Adventure Academy program is blocked by a Mac or Windows Firewall. The instructions for providing network access to Adventure Academy on a Mac and PC are listed below.

• Mac
• PC

Mac Network Access

Before troubleshooting on a Mac, the Mac user must be logged in on an account that can make changes to the Mac System Preferences. Adventure Academy must also be installed under Applications. In the installer process for Adventure Academy, the user is instructed to drag and drop Adventure Academy to the Application folder.

How to Open Network Access on a Mac

1. Open up System Preferences from the Apple icon at the top-left of the screen.
2. Click on Security & Privacy.
3. Click on the Firewall.
4. In the bottom-left of the window, click the lock icon that says Click the lock to make changes.
   • This allows the Firewall Options... button to be selected.
5. Click the + symbol to add a program to the list of allowed programs.
6. Confirm that the settings for Adventure Academy are set to Allow incoming connections and then click OK.

PC Network Access

Before troubleshooting on a PC, the PC user must be logged in with a Windows account that has Administrator privileges. The user must also know where Adventure Academy is installed on the PC. The default path is listed below, although the user may have customized the install folder:

• C:\Program Files(x86)\Age of Learning\Adventure Academy

How to Open Network Access on a PC

1. Windows Firewall provides a window to allow specific programs. Type allow firewall into Windows Search to find Allow an app through Windows Firewall.
2. This will open Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Defender Firewall > Allowed apps.
3. In order to make changes, the user must click the Change settings.
   • This will require administrative permission.
4. Click Allow another app….
5. In the Add an app window, click the Browse button.
   • This will open a browser dialogue window.
6. Navigate to the Adventure Academy program.
   • As mentioned before, by default, this is installed under C:\Program Files (x86)\Age of Learning\Adventure Academy, although the user may have customized this location.
7. Once Adventure Academy has been selected, click Add.

Adventure Academy should now be added to the list of apps under Allowed apps! Make sure that Private is selected, to allow access on private networks. If the user intends to play the game on a public network, make sure that Public is checked as well.