The Round Island - Your guide to games created by Squaresoft

H I S T O R Y

Our Aspirations
The Round Island started "online" in mid-1996 where I have make a website offline for my favorite game, Final Fantasy VII. I have remembered that I have finished the HTML walkthrough until Rocket Town Disc 1 but it was my faulty ZIP disk has fall on me again causing all my files to be destroyed (Well, not forgetting that it also destroyed my other files too). I have lost the sense of motivation to work a website from that point onwards...

Late in 1998 when FF8 is released, I have created a website called Scott's Final Fantasy VIII Web Page that is surviving on a 2MB of web space before moving to XOOM. Of course, the layout at that time isn't really good. After several encouragement from my friends, Ad B and Yashiro I got the urge to rename the website as Round Island which is hosted by Geo Cities and Crosswinds. Shortly, The Round Island got hosted by Square Eternity for a short while before the main server goes down. At last, I have finally found a reliable host and it is the current host Virtual Avenue. But as I was about update my website, this time it is my computer who got infected by a virus and cause my files to be destroyed. At that point of time, I have lost the urge to update the website anymore. I have decided to stop updating the website.

In early 2001, I feel that it is being good be away from the HTML for while and decide to rebuild this website. Thanks to the encouragement from my guests via my guest book and my friends, I have found the urge and motivation to return back to maintain this website. Of course, I also got an affiliate request from GK World. Thanks to the co-coordinator of that website, that the Round Island is reborn. I was pretty sorry that it took me such a long time to update this website because that this major update is done by only me. Ad B and Yashiro has left the website to due their personal reasons.

As for the decision whether I would be moving to a domain name like http://www.ffroundisland.com, I would say the chances were very slim even though if someone would offer me. This is because I have already enough heartbroken memories regarding those past few years of 'file corruption'. Hopefully, my current computer could really survive that long...

Well, if you observe carefully, I have also build a partial website called Round Island QUATZ, which focuses on adoption of Guardian Forces from FF8. As for whether it would come back, I say the chances are only a mere 30% because maintain such an adoption website is really a tiring process.

Lastly I would say that we are currently very pleased with our current host, Square-Online for hosting us. As for layout changes, I can confirm you that about 70% chances that this will be final layout for The Round Island. V2 features coverage for FF7 to FF10, FFT along with Xenogears.

In order to achieve the goal of The Round Island as a more complete Final Fantasy website, I have decided to launch version 3.0. The reason for the change is because I have the intention of implementing SSI into the website to facilitate navigation and it will allow me to update the website more easily.

- Scott Ong -
Creator of The Round Island.

R E C O R D S

Version 1.0 (18th December 1998 to 15th June 2001)
Version 1.0 marks the first use of tables in the layout and a drop menu used for the affiliates. It features an extensive coverage and the featured game is Final Fantasy VIII.

Version 2.0 (15th June 2001 to 25 December 2001)
Version 2.0 features one of the most unique layout for a Final Fantasy Website. With around 200+ pages of information coverage for Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy IX, Xenogears, Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy Tactics, it is one of most complete website that we have ever created.

Version 3.0 (25 December till NOW)
Due to overly expansion and we have decided go for Project V3 on December 2001. In order to aid updating files and easy navigation, the webmaster had decided to use SSI. SSI is really useful in updating links and it makes the file updates more easier. Four new games have been added to coverage - Final Fantasy Anthology and Final Fantasy Chronicles.