Modus Operandi In Retrospect A Reality
Disclaimer Frequently Asked Questions Credits

Modus Operandi

Rather than merely being a fan website featuring Final Fantasy artwork, FFi was designed to be an art community. From the first concept in 2002 to the numerous adaptations later, the essence of the site has still remained the same: to provide aspiring artists with the resources necessary for their own creative endeavors.

I had been looking for communities with a similar mentality for a long time and found them to be a rarity. In most places, members who regularly created artwork were few and far between. When there was a unified group of artists, their work was often ignored or forgotten by the rest of the website. With the enormous popularity of sites like deviantArt, the talented artist is capable of receiving proper recognition, but the benefits of personal feedback and instruction for the beginning artist are usually diminished.

I wanted to not only build a community that was supportive to the aspiring artist, but one that remained challenging and intriguing for more proficient individuals as well. From the need for a community that inspired creativity in all skill levels, the concept of Final Fantasy Illumina was developed.

In Retrospect

The History of FFi

Unfortunately, no previous examples of Final Fantasy Illumina survive to this day. All were either hosted by free hosts and have since shut down due to inactivity, or were Macromedia Flash files that never withstood transfers to newer computers and cleared hard drives. Below are general descriptions, from memory, of the numerous versions of FFi and their life spans.

Autumn 2002

Having bought a PlayStation 2 after selling my GameCube, I played though Final Fantasy X for the first time in early Autumn, and it became my favorite game. I wanted to devote a website to the series using my relatively new Flash skills, so I registered at a free web hosting website and began work. Impractical and congested, the first account of Final Fantasy Illumina never made it to the internet. There were templates for fan artwork and walkthroughs, but no content was ever created.

Late Autumn/Early Winter 2003 ~ FINALFANTASY12.NET

An entire year had passed before I was again inspired to create Illumina, this time in anticipation for Final Fantasy XII. With brand new screen shots giving the first glimpse of Vaan and Ashe, and with the game pushing a relatively distant March 2004 release date (or so we thought), it seemed like the perfect opportunity to build and launch a successful website. Development began on Thanksgiving Day.

The layout was compact and unique, featuring a white background with sub-navigation—an orange-pink-blue gradient stripe with white page links—running horizontally across the bottom and main navigation on the left, consisting of grey links with underlines that changed to blue when highlighted. Vaan and Ashe CG art was cut out and placed in between the main and sub-menus. The content area, above the sub-menu, scrolled horizontally and visually eased into each page as links were selected. It consisted of a black background with white text. To the right was the FFXII logo.

The design was inspired, but the site was difficult to update. Production grinded for less than a week before the project was eventually abandoned. However, only a few weeks later, I purchased server space and registered the FINALFANTASY12.NET domain name, officially reviving the project.

Citing the lack of flexibility as the major setback of the previous layout, I had this time opted for an HTML template with a Flash header. I used the pink and blue colors of the Final Fantasy XII logo as highlights on a predominately white color scheme, and the template featured navigation on both the left and right sides with plenty of room for content in the middle. Unfortunately, however, a sudden lack of funding from my parents resulted in the account being terminated well before the website was ever completed.

Summer 2004 ~ FF12.UBERGAMING.NET

I had learned how to use Adobe Photoshop at the beginning of the summer, and after my proposed redesign of another Final Fantasy website's layout was turned down, I was eager to revisit Final Fantasy Illumina once more. The approach was slightly modified, as well—this incarnation would be the first dedicated exclusively to artwork, rather than also featuring content from the games. Several members from other Final Fantasy websites had donated their artwork for FFi to use.

The template was created in Photoshop first, then transferred to Flash to be animated and become functional, though it still had the format of a common HTML-based web site, with a vertical navigation on the left side and content on the right. Different shades of violet and blue dominated the color scheme, and nearly everything was overlaid with one of the two originally released Final Fantasy XII illustrations. Animation was used sparingly—namely when highlighting menu items, where an arrow would slowly ease in to the selection from the left.

Before dedicated production went underway, however, I had decided to revert back to the more unconventional compact Flash layout, similar to the version of Illumina from the year before. This version would eventually be much more elaborate.

The layout was a white rectangle with rounded edges, set on top of a red-purple gradient background. In transition to a different page, the content would blur into the background before the next page faded in. Emerging from the right side of the template was a white silhouette of the vertical brush stroke from the Final Fantasy XII logo. The content was compact and featured vertically-oriented thumbnails—traits the current FFi continues to maintain.

Work on the site ended for reasons now unknown—possibly a sudden lack of interest.

A Reality

The Current Era

With the midnight release of Final Fantasy XII looming, on October 30, 2006, I designed the first layout of Final Fantasy Illumina. After four years of high anticipation for the game, my enthusiasm that day had driven me to revive the project for one final time—if only in the modest format of a blog site. A launch correlating with the game's release seemed as good of an opportunity as any.

The inspiration for the design was what I imagined to be a stylish menu from a trendy restaurant. Throughout the development process, I tried to avoid the use of borders and tables, instead relying on the positioning of content to distribute space and make for a more balanced composition. My goal was to strip away the excess extravagance that had slowed down progress in the past, and instead build the site on basic fundamental elements. I aimed for an almost minimalist style that could be strongly established throughout the site and forums.

The appearance of the site's physical weight is achieved through use of a cast shadow and FFi's distinct page fold. The design's bold features help to make it more striking—a broad white stroke borders the template and large font sizes are used selectively—and a dark grey and khaki color scheme is spotted with gold for a distinguished classical look. Later, in January of 2008, all gold text and graphics were replaced by mint green to signify the site's move towards a more modern 'Web 2.0' style.

Ironically, the site was abandoned in early November due to my extensive playing of Final Fantasy XII. It wasn't until May of 2007 when, after exhibiting the unfinished template at several sites to positive feedback, I decided to revive the project. The return of FFi officially began on May 8 when I registered the URL FF-ILLUMINA.NET, and the entire month saw extensive work on the template and forums. Production was on track to finish in early June, but due to certain circumstances it would not.

On the night of June 5, 2007, roughly half of my house burned down in a fire that started in the garage. No one was hurt, but my family and I were forced to temporarily move out, living in hotels over the span of nearly a month. During that time I had very limited internet access, and I certainly did not have the resources available to continue building the site. July saw a more stable working environment, as we were finally able to move into another house, and the month was highlighted with impressive forum activity and substantial progress on the site. However, the start of college loomed in early August. A week of concentrated work was not enough to finish the site before I moved to the University of Kansas to begin the semester. Any further work would have to be pushed to October or November.

FFi Version 1.5

Although the website "officially" opened November 12, 2007, work on the main website lasted well into January and February of the next year. During that time, FFi underwent a slight adjustment in visual identity, resulting in the tweaking of stylistic properties, such as site-wide fonts. A major change was the replacement of FFi's secondary "classic gold" color with a cooler "mint green" to promote the website as more sleek and modern.

FFi Version 1.75

To commemorate the one-year anniversary of the "FFi Project," the website was shut down from April 27 to May 12, 2008 for updating. Although the closing period was essentially for a massive addition of content, the template also saw some renovations, including the long-delayed completion of the remaining unfinished pages and a change in main colors from Mint Green to Magenta and Light Indigo. This would be the final series visual upgrades to the website before being completely redesigned for Version 2.0, due in early Fall of 2008.

Disclaimer

Final Fantasy Illumina is a privately-owned and operated website and is in no way affiliated with SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. FINAL FANTASY, FINAL FANTASY TACTICS and DISSIDIA are registered trademarks of SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD.

By accessing, browsing, and using FFi, you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions described herein and all policies and guidelines incorporated by reference.

Use of Submitted Material

Submitted content—artwork, forum signatures, wallpapers, templates, and tutorials—may be presented at the will of FFi and may be denied or removed for any reason, or by request of the author.

Intellectual Property Rights

Unless otherwise stated, we or our licensors own the intellectual property rights in the website and material on the website Subject to the license below, all intellectual property rights are reserved.

License to Use Web site

You may view, download for caching purposes only, and print pages from the website, provided that:

` material from this website must not be republished (including republication on another website), or reproduced or stored in any public or private electronic retrieval system;
` material from this website must not be reproduced, duplicated, copied, sold, resold, visited, or otherwise exploited for a commercial purpose, without our express written consent;
` material on the website must not be edited or otherwise modified.

Limitations of Liability

The information on this website is provided free-of-charge, and you acknowledge that it would be unreasonable to hold us liable in respect of this website and the information on this website

Whilst we endeavor to ensure that the information on this website is correct, we do not warrant its completeness or accuracy; nor do we commit to ensuring that the website remains available or that the material on this website is kept up-to-date.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law we exclude all representations, warranties and conditions (including, without limitation, the conditions implied by law of satisfactory quality, fitness for purpose and the use of reasonable care and skill).

Our liability is limited and excluded to the maximum extent permitted under applicable law. We will not be liable for any direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage arising under this disclaimer or in connection with our website, whether arising in tort, contract, or otherwise—including, without limitation, any loss of profit, contracts, business, goodwill, data, income, revenue or anticipated savings.

However, nothing in this disclaimer shall exclude or limit our liability for fraud, for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or for any other liability which cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.

Contact Details

For any questions regarding this Disclaimer, please contact us by use of our Contact Us page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the recommended browser and resolution for this website?

Final Fantasy Illumina was designed for use with the Mozilla Firefox internet browser. While the website will still function correctly when using Internet Explorer 6.0 or later, some graphics and pages may not display as intended.

A screen resolution of at least 1024x768 pixels is recommended. The website was designed at a resolution of 1280x1024 pixels.

What does FFi stand for?

FFi is an acronym for Final Fantasy Illumina. To prevent confusion with the game Final Fantasy I (FFI), the letter 'I' is in lower-case.

Although officially presented as Final Fantasy Illumina or FFi, the website may sometimes be referred to as FF-Illumina, FF-I, or simply Illumina.

Which games does FFi cover?

Final Fantasy Illumina covers all news concerning the Square Enix company in general, but maintains content pertaining to only the recent numbered Final Fantasy games (XII, XIII), their official spin-offs, and select Final Fantasy titles (The War of the Lions, Crisis Core, Dissidia). This is in order to keep the website's content considerably new and relevant, and within a manageable scope.

When additional titles are announced for the Fabula Nova Crystallis project (Final Fantasy XIII), FFi will broaden coverage to include those as well.

How are the Featured Artists selected?

A Featured Artist is chosen by the FFi staff every two weeks. The criteria for selection is as follows: they must be a member of the FFi Forums and remain relatively active; have an expansive body of work including, but not limited to, at least one Final Fantasy-related composition; their quality of work is recognized as exceptional by the staff.

FFi staff regularly browses the forums for artists to feature, so the best way to get noticed is to start drawing!

How do I join the FFi community?

To join the community, please register at the FFi Forums.

Who manages the website and forums?

The main website is maintained by Jayhawk, with frequent help from hateradio and Moiph. For full staff profiles and contact details, visit the Staff Members page.

How can I become an affiliate of FFi?

To submit a website for affiliation, please use the form on the Contact Us page, with Affiliation selected as the message category. Be sure to read the Affiliates page beforehand for our requirements.

How can I access FFi Radio?

Final Fantasy Illumina Radio uses the program ubroadcast to air its internet radio station, and subsequently the station can only be accessed by downloading the ubroadcast player.

Once installed, open the player and in the Stations tab find 'Final Fantasy Illumina Radio' under the Independent Music Broadcasters > Artists and Songwriters category, or just search for station #893. It should start streaming the audio automatically.

What web addresses direct to Final Fantasy Illumina?

FFi can be accessed by visiting FF-ILLUMINA.NET or FINALFANTASYILLUMINA.NET. In addition, the Dissidia game page is linked to both the FFDISSIDIA.COM and FFDISSIDIA.NET web addresses.

How do I create my own Aficionado Blog?

Aficionado Blogs may only be created by forum members who have ascended to the Enthusiast ranking. They are currently under production and unavailable.

How do I become an Enthusiast?

The Enthusiast ranking may be gained by forum members who have compiled more than 1000 posts, or by those who have offered a donation to the website.

I have a few more questions.

If you have a question that was not answered by this FAQ, please don't hesitate to use our Contact Us page.

Credits

The textures used in the background of small-text sections were modified from patterns created by Squidfingers.