Tribulation Knights and Torque Tech used

As the game development progresses for Tribulation Knights I have received a few questions concerning what technology I am using.

TGEA
The engine is TGEA 1.7.1, and I have to say that it is so much faster that previous versions.
My prerequisite was that it had to work for mid range computers and above.
I actually develop/test on a mid-range computer running XP and then test it on a higher end computer running Vista. If it looks good on my mid range, then it looks and plays even better on the higher end.

AFX: Core Tech for TGEA 1.7.1
Have been working on reworking the default AFX interface and customizing it for the game.
The AFX documentation is very good, and now I am working on some new effects.
There are different versions of the GUI graphics being tested. Here is one version below.


Yack Pack
The Yack Pack is great for all of the NPC communications in the game.
As seen below the Yack Pack works well.


Green-Ear
Learning how to use this new product. The plan is to have online meeting areas for the players to discuss the game, and many other things. Their avatars will be visible to each other, which will all be based on the various game characters. This is in works and I will release more information when it is ready.

SSAO Kit (Real Time Screen Space Ambient Occlusion Shaders)
The developer has release 1.2 which is the version we will inlcude in the new game build.
I am looking forward to seeing how this will change the game for those people who have Shader Model 3.0 support. For those that do not, then SSAO disables itself. So this is a bonus for those higher end players.

Tools I use in development include:

Torsion
I enjoy using this tool to edit my TorqueScript files. Before this I used notepad!

ShowTool Pro
Its a breeze to look at my shape directories and examine the models.

Overlord
You don't realize how much work there is to do on a game till you organize it, identify what needs to be done, detail it, then assign it, and track it. Wow.

Photoshop
The ultimate image program, and my personal favorite. Have been using it for many many years. There are other alternatives out there too that work like Photoshop now.

3DSMax
I do not have the newest version, and I have been considering getting Houdini Apprentice HD.
Do not have have experience with it yet, but I may just jump in with both feet.

Milkshape
I use this program to convert models all the time since I use a variety of modeling tools, programs, and formats.

FRAPS
I use this capture program for my videos I post. Also I use the videos to show other team members what issues I may be seeing on a test machine.

SketchUP 5
I have used this 3D modeling program to build models fairly quickly.
It works well.

CrazyBump
I have been testing this program and it works fantastic!

Plastic Tweaker
Just bought this and will give it a try.