Character Builder Bug: Wizard Resumes Instead Of Resetting

Hey guys, have you ever been in the middle of building your awesome Dungeons & Dragons character, maybe you're knee-deep in selecting your spells or picking out your gear, and you get a little sidetracked? Perhaps you wanted to check something in the rulebook, or maybe you just accidentally clicked away. No biggie, right? You figure you'll just jump back in and start a new character, expecting to begin fresh at Step 1. Well, lately, some of us have noticed a weird little hiccup in the character builder. Instead of kicking you back to the beginning, the wizard actually remembers where you were and starts you off at that exact same step. It’s like your character builder has a memory, and it's not always the one you want!

This bug, which has been popping up in the character builder discussions, specifically around the dnd-rulebook-project, is causing a bit of confusion. The core issue is that when you're creating a character, navigate away from the builder, and then decide to kick off a new character creation process, the wizard doesn't reset. It picks up right where you left off, even if that was step 3, step 5, or any other step beyond the very first one. This is super frustrating because, honestly, who wants to continue building a new character from the middle of where they previously left off on another character? It totally breaks the flow and can lead to mistakes if you're not paying close attention. We expect a clean slate every time we hit that 'create new character' button, and right now, that's not happening. It's a pretty significant usability issue that needs sorting.

Understanding the Problem: Why is the Wizard Not Resetting?

Let's dive a little deeper into why this whole 'wizard resuming instead of resetting' thing is happening. The suspected root cause points directly to the character builder's internal storage, often referred to as the 'store.' Within this store, there's a piece of information called currentStep. This currentStep variable is basically keeping track of which step of the character creation process you're currently on. The problem is, this currentStep state isn't being properly cleared or reset when you initiate the creation of a new character. It seems to be persisting across different character creation sessions. So, if you were on step 3, left, and then started a new character, the builder looks at its stored currentStep value, sees '3', and thinks, "Great, let's start from here!" instead of defaulting to '1'.

Think of it like this: you're baking a cake, you stop at step 3 (mixing the batter), go to do the dishes, and then decide you want to bake a different cake. You grab a new recipe, but instead of starting from scratch, the oven is still preheated to the temperature you used for the first cake, and maybe some of the batter is still in the bowl. It's a mess, right? That's essentially what's happening here. The character builder is retaining state information that should be unique to each individual character creation attempt. This persistence is usually a good thing for saving progress within a single character build, but it's a major bug when it prevents a clean start for a new character. The expectation is that initiating a new character build should wipe the slate clean, resetting all relevant temporary data, including the current step in the wizard, to their default starting values. This bug circumvents that expectation, leading to a disjointed and error-prone user experience for players trying to forge new heroes.

The Expected Behavior: A Fresh Start Every Time

When you're embarking on the epic quest of creating a brand-new adventurer in D&D, the absolute last thing you want is to be greeted by a half-finished process. We're talking about starting from Step 1. This is the bedrock of a good character creation experience, guys. It means you get to choose your race, your class, your background, and all those crucial early decisions without any lingering baggage from a previous, unrelated character attempt. Imagine you're rolling up a new character for a different campaign, or maybe you made a mistake on an earlier step and decided to just scrap it and start over. The logical, user-friendly, and frankly, expected behavior is for the character builder to present you with a pristine, blank canvas. This means resetting everything – particularly the wizard's current step – back to its initial state. Step 1 is where the magic begins, where possibilities are endless, and where the foundation of your entire adventure is laid. Anything less feels like an interruption, a glitch in the matrix of your heroic creation.

This expectation of a fresh start is fundamental to how users interact with builders and wizards. We anticipate a predictable and consistent workflow. When you click "Start New Character," you're signaling your intent to begin an entirely new journey. The system should interpret this signal as a command to fully reset all relevant temporary data. This includes not just the step in the wizard but potentially any temporary selections or data that might have been saved during the previous, incomplete session. The goal is to ensure that each new character creation is an independent event, free from the context or state of any prior attempts. This prevents confusion, reduces the chance of errors (like accidentally carrying over stats or choices from a previous build), and generally makes the entire process feel smooth and reliable. When the builder deviates from this, it violates a core user expectation, turning a potentially exciting process into a source of frustration and bug-hunting. We need that clean slate, that guaranteed return to Step 1, to build our characters with confidence and joy.

The Actual Behavior: Picking Up Where You Left Off (Uh Oh!)

So, what's actually happening with this bug? It's quite the opposite of what we'd all prefer. Instead of kicking things off at Step 1, the character builder is, annoyingly, picking up right where you last left off. Let's say you were diligently working on character number one, got to, I don't know, Step 3 (maybe you were choosing your ability scores?), and then you decided to navigate away. Perhaps you went to check a spell list, or maybe you just needed to close a tab. Then, you decide, "Alright, time for a new character!" You click the button to start a fresh build, but bam! You're not at Step 1 at all. You're right back at Step 3, staring at the ability score selection screen, possibly with the old character's choices still lurking. This is where things get messy, guys.

This 'actual behavior' is problematic for several reasons. Firstly, it's confusing. You're expecting a clean slate, but you're getting a continuation. This can lead to mistakes if you're not paying close enough attention. Did you forget to clear out the previous character's choices? Are you sure you're making the right decisions for this new character? Secondly, it breaks the intended workflow. The character creation process is designed to be sequential, with each step building upon the last. By dropping a user into the middle of the wizard, you're skipping critical steps that might influence later decisions or selections. It’s like trying to assemble IKEA furniture, but you only get the instructions for step 3, and the parts for steps 1 and 2 are still in the box. It just doesn't make sense and can lead to a poorly constructed character, literally and figuratively. This unpredictable continuation is a significant usability flaw that needs to be addressed pronto. We need the builder to be intuitive, and right now, this bug is making it anything but.

The Culprit: Persistent currentStep State

Alright, let's get a bit technical, but don't worry, I'll keep it simple. The developers have a suspected culprit for this whole kerfuffle, and it boils down to something called state persistence. In the backend of the character builder, there's a system (the 'store') that keeps track of various bits of information needed during character creation. One crucial piece of this information is the currentStep variable. This variable's job is to remember which stage of the character building process you're currently in. Now, here's the rub: this currentStep value seems to be sticking around even after you've finished with one character and started another. It's like a sticky note that doesn't get thrown away. So, when you start a new character, the system looks at the currentStep value, sees, say, '3' from your previous attempt, and decides to load up Step 3 again, instead of resetting it back to the default, which should be Step 1.

This persistence of currentStep is the core of the issue. Normally, you'd want the builder to remember your progress if you step away and come back to the same character. That's a good feature! But when you initiate a new character, that's a signal for a complete reset. The state associated with the previous character build should be discarded or marked as inactive. The currentStep variable needs to be explicitly reset to '1' whenever a new character creation process is started. If it's not being reset, it means the 'start new character' action isn't fully cleaning up the builder's memory. It's holding onto old data that doesn't belong to the new character you're trying to build. This makes the builder feel unreliable and can lead to players getting confused or making errors because they're not starting from a clean, predictable foundation. Fixing this involves ensuring that the startNewCharacter() function, or the logic that handles navigating to a fresh character build, properly clears out the currentStep state, setting it firmly back to 1.

The Proposed Solution: A Clean Reset is Key

So, how do we fix this annoying bug and get our character builder back to being the reliable tool we love? The suggested fix is pretty straightforward, guys, and it addresses the root cause directly. The idea is to ensure that whenever a new character is initiated, the currentStep variable is explicitly reset to 1. This needs to happen either within the startNewCharacter() action itself, or in the logic that handles the transition to the character builder when a fresh character is intended. Think of it as adding a command that says, "Hey, we're starting completely fresh now, so forget whatever step we were on before and go back to the very beginning."

This simple reset is crucial. By forcing currentStep back to 1, we guarantee that every time a player decides to create a new character, they are presented with the intended starting point. No more confusion, no more accidentally continuing from a previous half-finished build. It ensures consistency and predictability in the user experience, which is super important for something as fundamental as character creation. This fix directly combats the state persistence issue by actively clearing the relevant state variable (currentStep) when it's no longer needed for the current context. It's a small change that has a big impact on usability, making the character builder feel robust and trustworthy again. Players can confidently click "Start New Character" knowing they'll get a true beginning, every single time. It’s about restoring the expected flow and making sure that the journey of creating a new hero starts exactly where it should: at Step 1.