Mine does the same thing sometimes. I've found that logging out then back in sometimes works, if that doesn't do it then try getting all the way out and back in. The game seems to get temperamental at times.

Hope that helps.

There seems to be an endless list of reasons as to why the Forest won't connect. Like Feint said, it can be temperatmental xD Here are some things you can try:

Computer-based:

• Right click the program and select 'Run as administrator'
  
• Double check that your firewall is not blocking the game
  
• Re-start your router
  
• Don't run any programs alongside TEF when you run it (Usually you can open more programs without much issue once TEF is fully connected, though you may lag a little more depending on what you're running)
  
• Run only a browser alongside TEF (It's weird, sometimes this seems to help me. Sometimes it makes it worse.)

Game-based:

• Start the game. Do not touch it; walk away for about five minutes and see if it does anything.
  
• Start the game. Adjust your camera angle a little, make the deer get up, and walk around. As soon as your deer logs in (you see your pictogram), get up again and start walking. Open your orange action bar and click on several of the icons for about 1 minute straight, moo at least once, then run/hop around some. After that, don't touch the game for another minute or two. This one is currently the most effective for me. I don't know why it works, but it does. It'll probably be a different method in a month, lol.
  
• Moo. A lot.
  
• Have your deer pray at the Twin God statues
  
• Jump in and out of the pond
  
• Just run around like crazy
  
• Open your menu and go to 'Network.' Choose 'Disconnect' and wait for the game to re-connect. You may need to click 'Connect' a few times to encourage it, if it gets stuck. Try some or all of the above again.
  
• Open your menu and select 'Quit.' Wait for the game to exit completely, wait about 5 seconds, then open the game again. Try some or all of the above again.
  
• Wait until there are fewer than 40 users online (the server was built to handle 50 at max, so you will probably have trouble connecting during high-traffic hours)
  
• Wait until the weather is back to normal (it's currently night in the Forest, which means more people are logging in and the game has to load the environment changes in addition to everything else; it can make connecting more difficult)
  
• Combine the above in different ways until something works and you find your own method.

Like I said, the game is temperamental, but there seem to be a few consistent tricks to getting it to connect. Once you find a method that works, remember what you did and stick with it. If it continues to work, keep using it until it doesn't. When I find a method, it usually lasts 2-5 months before I have to find a new one because something changes with my connection or the server or whatever it is that makes the game quirky. It can be annoying, but once you get a pattern down it's usually not too bad. :3 Good luck!

Edit: Yes, the box on the left should be green when you are fully connected, and you should not have any 'clumped' pictograms at the bottom of your screen.
Red: You are not connected to the server at all
Orange: You are partially connected. Either your game is not communicating properly with the server, but you are connected and visible to other players (but will not show up on the map), you are not logged in, or you are connected but the other players have not loaded (ie your pictograms have not spread)
Green: You are (in theory) completely connected and logged in

Ah, good! : D
Glad to help!

I can't figure out why my thing won't connect help! I just downloaded it and I have no idea why it's not connecting. It just say error! And i even registered and made an account.

A Mac, eh I think you are out of luck... The game is only for Windows its impossible to install and run it on a Mac. There is a program called Wine that can run Windows programs but it is very hard to do that with this game, I tried it with my sister's Mac but we could never get the game to run at all only a black screen, sound, but nothing else was present. I'm sure if people have the patience they could get it to work but still there would be crashes, graphical issues, and no internet in the game. Since its made for Windows it currently cannot be done and they don't have a Mac version yet and I don't know if they ever will... There's really nothing else to do, but if you have a computer with Windows with a decent processor and graphics card then you can play the game.

You will have to fiddle with it a bit, do some tricks listed above.

What I must do for my internet to work is: P
ull up the game
Wait for Comen's set to load (his white pelt, owl mask, and candles)
I rotate the screen and zoom in a little then I do NOT touch the game anymore,
and I do NOT go to any other screens or websites.
I do not make comen get up either.
Usually I leave and pee or something and when I come back everyone is loaded. If nobody is loaded after a few minutes, I exit out game and restart my process


Keep in mind that A LOT of us have connection issues, I can assure you that it's just taking a while loading. I believe some of us must do little quirks to trigger the connection but I hope you figure it out!!!