It is pretty apparent the game designers do not actually play the game. Specialist system was intended to help casual crafters compete on the market board. In reality, Specialist gave more power to the dedicated hardcore omnicrafter that levels 3 characters to cover all specializations. It is hard to compete against someone who can make it cheaper by having all specialists versus having to purchase items from a middle man.

Crafting is really just for the hardcore crafters even more than before. The barrier of entry for new crafters is really high and favors "old money" crafters.