Hi
Option 1:
Purpose of 'Activation Tree' is for bulk content activation.
Why do you not want to use it ? what is the limitation of using 'Activation Tree' ?
Option 2
You can create content packages and deploy these. But remember, with content packages you don't get the replication history and you can't deactivate individual pages.
Option 3
Write Workflows that Activate content:
http://adobeaemclub.com/scheduled-activation-workflows/
I hope this would be helpful to you.
Thanks and Regards
Kautuk Sahni
Kautuk Sahni