What do you mean the character system sucked? I'd say it's one of the better ones going around for this type of game. It's streamlined, but still deep and has scope for significant tactical variation.
With the respec mod, detailed tooltips mod, and difficulty set to hard or nightmare, DA is game with a lot of scope for min-maxing and tactical micromanaging. For a single-player game, it's pretty impressive in this regard.
There are linear skill "lines" that go 4 talents deep with absolutely no synergy between any group. There are no decisions to make, no tradeoffs, you pick a group and stick with it. Some skills are horribly overpowered, others are way underpowered.
The AI functioning is dependent on a skill line? There's no reason to choose at least half the of the skills. No cross skills? The only reason to take a rogue is because I can't train my warrior in pick locks, no matter his dex. Of course they've also made picking locks pointless so it's moot.
The vaunted spell combo system has what, 4-5 combos? There is very little synergy between characters, they don't compliment each other or work as a team. It's choose your tank, choose some DPS and a healer but the skills and talents between classes don't compliment each other.
I'd say there's very little micromanaging to do, position your rogue behind the target because the AI isn't smart enough to do it itself, throw your tank in and manually aim any offensive spells or your casters will kill your melee. Jagged Alliance is tactical, DA is a factory job.
I'll give you it's certainly "streamlined" but it doesn't hold a candle to the developed DnD, Dark Eye or even Fallout's (1,2,Tactics) SPECIAL systems. I have spent days trying to min-max a DnD character but there are no decisions to make designing a DA character after pick a class and a skill group.