I have this code:
//init allegro
if(!al_init()) {
fprintf(stderr, "failed to initialize allegro!\n");
return -1;
}
al_init_font_addon();
if(!al_init_ttf_addon())
{
return -1;
}
//create the display
this->display = al_create_display(640, 480);
if(!this->display) {
fprintf(stderr, "failed to create display!\n");
return -1;
}
if(!al_install_keyboard())
{
return -1;
}
//init font
this->font = al_load_ttf_font("pirulen.ttf", 72, 0);
if(!this->font)
{
return -1;
}


for some reason al_load_ttf_font() fails. Tried everything I can think of. pirulen.ttf is in the top directory of my project as well as being in the debug and release folders of the project. Any ideas on what's going on here?

The first thing you should do is link with a debug version of allegro and look at allegro.log. al_load_ttf_font will print a message there including a FreeType error code when a font fails to load. That will probably point you in the right direction.