Since a happy encounter with a game shop bargain bin last year, I've been giving Jagged Alliance 2 a hammering.

It's a turn-based modern warfare game which gives the player control of a team of mercenary soldiers tasked with overthrowing the evil dictatrix of an island nation.  Published in, 1999 it's game which has aged very gracefully, IMO.

Each character in the game has a rating for abilities (strength, dexterity, health, agility, and wisdom) and skills (medical, mechanical, explosives, leadership, and marksmanship).  Each also has one or two talents, such as night operations, heavy weapons or teaching.

It occured to me recently that this is essentially the stat/skill/feat structure adopted by D&D 3E, 3.5E and 4E.  I doubt WotC ripped off Sirtech for the idea, so:

1. Is this evidence that it's a particularly streamlined way of building characters for combat systems?

2. What games other than new D&D use it?  Is it common, or are other conventions more popular?

1: I wouldn't be so sure it is a model just for combat based systems,  certainly used a lot for those however. I suspect it is a convenient way of quantifying the 'Hero' in relatable terms in a different way to saying, "He is three times stronger than I am", or something similar.

Also when I think on it, it is especially useful when you are applying dice to resolve a situation (in the computer games a random number generator), since you need to quantify stuff to work out the statistics or randomise your resolutions.

2: I'd say it is a common model, if you broaden your definitions a little.

Rolemaster: Stats/Skills (lots of)/Feats (Talents and Flaws and specifically Special Training talents).
Earthdawn: Stats/Skills (the mundane ones)/Talents (the magically reinforced ones)
Alternity (and probably a host of other Sci-Fi/Near Future games): Stats/Skills/Cybertech (or even Psionic powers for that matter).

It seems to be a fairly standard pattern on in many modern games (RPG or Computer), at least the ones I have played any amount of.

No doubt this says a lot about my preferences in all types of gaming.