Interview: Bart Farkas


PlanetDiablo speaks with Bart Farkas about authoring the BradyGAMES Diablo II Strategy Guide, working with Blizzard, and his writing career.
By: The Acolyte

PlanetDiablo: In your experience writing the exclusive and official Diablo II Strategy Guide from BradyGAMES, what was the hardest task or phase?

Bart: I'd say deciding on how to structure the guide to be of most value to the consumer was the hardest task. With a game like Diablo II, there's going to be literally millions of players, many of which are rabid enough to know details about the game that even some of the designers might not know (smile). So, a big challenge for me was to choose how to present the information so that it could be the most useful to everyone.

Ultimately I put a large weight on the Character Skills, taking the time to discuss practical uses for each skill. After all, skill points are precious, and I thought the reader would want to know if a skill was 'worth it' for their particular playing style.

PlanetDiablo: What part did you find to be the easiest?

Bart: I enjoyed my trips to Blizzard--I've made a lot of friends there and they're great guys/gals, so I'd say that working with the Blizzard staff was the easiest part. I know that's not the answer you're looking for, but to be honest, doing a comprehensive book on a game like Diablo II, with all its complexity, is a challenge.

PlanetDiablo: Is there a section of the guide that you were looking forward to including, but didn't get a chance to finish?

PlanetDiablo: Similarly, was there a section of the guide that was included, but which you would have liked to expand on?

Bart: Actually, same as above I'd say.

PlanetDiablo: What chapter of the Diablo II Strategy Guide are you proud of the most?

Bart: The skills chapter is 32,000 words, which is bigger than many entire strat guides on the market. A huge amount of time was put into that chapter (both mine and Blizzard's) to provide inside information on the skills.

PlanetDiablo: Visiting Blizzard Entertainment in the process of writing the guide must have been a positive experience in itself; care to share any moments?

Bart: As a Canadian, the guys at Blizzard make fun of me with plenty of 'Canada' jokes. It gives me a good opportunity to lay into the American way of life, which is always good for a laugh. Actually, this was my third book with Blizzard, and probably my 10th trip there, so I've gotten to know them quite well. It's always fun to get together and horse around.

Blizzard is a very cool place, and the staff turnover is minimal. Amazingly, most of the guys I met when I was there for the Starcraft book several years ago are still there today! I think that says a lot about the work environment there; they have a lot of smart, talented people that love what they do and where they work (of course, that's just my opinion!).

PlanetDiablo: Which character class from Diablo II do you like playing the most? What are the names of your characters?

Bart: Well, I was a real Necromancer nut for a long time, but now I've spent some time exploring the other characters in more detail. It's such a complicated game, and there are so many ways to use each character, that it's difficult to put my finger on what I like most. However, I won't fence sit; I'll say Necromancer.

PlanetDiablo: And what skills (from any character class) are your favorite? Do you have any specific combinations that you normally use?

Bart: Corpse Explosion (Necromancer) is a biggy, and Leap Attack (Barbarian). But all of the characters have cools skills that can be devastating if used in a clever way (Grim Ward excepted…smile.)


Continue as we wrap things up with a few more interesting questions...