Alternative to Spell Points

The Vancian spell casting system of D&D is a tried and true proven system. Since the beginning there have been complaints about it, but no better system has yet been devised.

Alright, that's a pretty strong stance. That's my opinion on the matter.

I am still fascinated by alternate methods, and have yet to see a Spell Point system I'm fully convinced is better than classic D&D Vancian magic.

Here is an idea that is perhaps one of the simplest expressions of a spell point system, it is somewhat half way between Vancian and Spell Points.

You get X levels of spells to cast per day. X is your character's level + modifiers (ie. INT 14/+1)

A 1st level caster could cast a 1st level spell.

A 3rd level caster could cast a 3rd level spell, or three 1st level spells, or a 1st level and a 2nd level.

 This does give access to higher level spells before classic D&D does, but I think at a cost that somewhat balances it. You could add some sort of exhaustion system to further balance it, but I haven't fully thought that out yet.