If it is not broken, DO NO FIX IT!

[Xzen]

Maybe, but there's such a thing as too much of a good thing. Sure, it's convenient for anyone to be able to change and do anything on the fly, but that will create the passive expectation in the community that everyone should be as flexible as you, or automatically become less valuable. So in your scenario, an inverted version of what I proposed still occurs. Now flexibility is the norm, and there is no choice but to be a jack-of-all-trades or get sat out of parties for someone who is.

There's no escaping this, really. There is no such thing as an absolutely free-form system, because even with equal balance and absolute versatility, some decisions are more right than others (in this case, choosing versatility over specialization).

I don't think anyone expects people to have 3 or more classes to rank 50 or be that flexible.

[Ablongman]

I don't think anyone expects people to have 3 or more classes to rank 50 or be that flexible.

You would be mistaken. I know folks around these parts hate World of Warcraft, but it actually lends itself for this argument.

WoW relies on the trinity (tank, healer, DD). It used to be that you had to specialize your character in a talent tree, and collect gear that allowed you to perform your role. For instance, a priest could be Shadow spec, but had to equip spell damage gear to be effective. Whereas a healer needed gear that increased spell healing, and would be gimped using damage gear.

They merged the two statistics into spellpower, and homogenized gear. Then they added the ability to have a second talent spec, and changed the talent trees to allow a Shadow spec priest to use the same gear as a Holy or Discipline priest (the healing specs).

Right now, competitive raiding guilds often demand that applicants have a secondary role available, and are able to perform competitively at that role. Even in those guilds where such stipulations are optional, the applicant with the flexibility will be picked over the one without practically every time, simply because it makes the raid more adaptable.

So, long-winded example over with, people can and will expect flexibility if it is possible. It might not be right away, but as the months and years pass, not being flexible will be a hindrance and make you less desirable. It is not an exaggeration, it is human nature. I could get to work in a Fiat, but if the choice was between a Fiat and a Porsche for the same price, guess which one I'd take.