Let me clear something up, I simply didn't find Bg1 or 2 challenging in any way. I did all of those things, and I avoided taking advantage of the poor RTWP system and its shortcomings. I turned off the AI, I set up maneuvers, and summons, and spells and so forth but ultimately the combat was a "thing to get through" that didn't provide any real challenge.
I agree - especially compared to something like Pathfinder games, BG1&2 were a cake walk. 2e was also not very complex. Yes there were a lot of spells, but really that's all that was to it. Out of party of 6 maybe 2-3 characters required attention. I have managed to beat the game with little to no understanding of underying mechanics - and yeah, with that some fights took quite a bit of trial and error - some cheese, some experimentiation and some RNG luck. If one has a decent grasp on the mechanics though, BG1&2 become rather straightforward.
I definitely see more potential in BG3 combat, as long as they get rid of the "cheese" - for not it is a mixed bag for me. Some encounters I enjoy, other annoy me, and my enjoyment is always throttled by the knowledge that I can steam roll through any encounter if I stop handicapping myself.
