I posted this on PC Gamer today but I realized it works better here, so...
I was reading an old PC Gamer today and looked over their Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight article from a year ago. In it one of the editors mentions that "getting lost in an FPS is so 90s" or whatever. It reminded me that there was a time when pretty much every FPS games was not just about shooting but also about finding out how to get where you needed to go. Sometimes this meant finding keys, sometimes it meant finding the right path in a mild maze and sometimes it meant figuring out a puzzle.
FPS games now-a-days are pretty much all about shooting, they have no other gameplay element. Sure Bioshock has plasmids to upgrade and Borderlands has loot, but all of them are designed to never confuse you about where to go and to keep you shooting as much as possible.
Am I the only one who misses figuring out where to go? Wasn't that part of the game, not a hassle? It's not like the developers of Jedi Knight couldn't have had the game be a bunch of linear corridors for 8 hours, that kind of design is easier not harder. They chose to have labyrinth levels, multiple routes and keys because that was part of the gameplay.
Even though Bioshock is linear as hell it has a big bright arrow on by default! Arg!
I'm playing Kane & Lynch 2 right now and all I do is shoot dudes, that is the entire gameplay element, there is nothing else. If there were puzzles, mazes, discovery or keys to find it would be something to mix-up the monotony. And that's not about it being a monotonous game, all shooters are like this now, all you do is shoot.
Thoughts?

Nah getting lost in an FPS is so 2001, OFP was the master of making you feel lost. Then killing you brutally.
Linear vs non linear is a classic debate, the linear allows for a tighter experience that is more like what the developer envisions but non linear allows for greater player freedom and creativity of tactics.
Of course when games are linear and they don't really do anything notable then its just laziness

no,i'm with you

If done right comples levels are awesome (like jedi knight that i'm replaying now) and I do miss the feeling of adventure and exploring levels games used to have. Developers seem to have become lazy in the level design department. They spend so much time in graphics that other parts suffer. Also making a game casual is also a big priority these days.
The annnoying thing is, when they actually do have complex level design these days it's comfusing and you almost need waypoints and stuff like that. They should really replay those old games (like we do) and relearn how to make them.

unfortunately, they are trying to fulfill the wishes of "fans"

In the publisher's view that is sadly correct: they make the games for the one who are willing to pay for it. I'm not paying 60 euros for the shit they put in stores these days. A lot of games these days are too easy, simplistic and too short. I almost never buy a game new anymore (and I buy games on a weekly basis) and you only have to wait like 2-3 months for most games to be 50-75% lower in price also various deals are handy too ;)
Let's face it: if they would make a game with the same level design as the great jedi knight it would probably be labeled as frustrating in reviews, shot down in scores and not sell wel because of it.

I''m not a big fan of confusing mazes but otherwise I agree with you. Dark Forces 2 is a good example. I was playing that awhile ago and I was stuck and I finally found a platform that moved when I jumped on it. It stuck out in my mind as a cool moment

There is a sort of justification for levels getting more linear in general; with the complex graphics and environments of todays games, any gamers sensory inputs are overloaded much faster.
It's easier to keep track of yourself in a maze if the walls are all flat brick textures, and are not slanted every which way while spewing steam and fire, with cables hanging from the ceiling etc. etc.
Other than that though, I miss the puzzle- and keyfinding element. Even secrets are on their way out. The super secrets in Wolf3D, Doom, Blood, ... so awesome.

Me too, That's why don't really play FPS games much anymore, too boring.
Actually, they are fulfilling wishes of nvidia and ati. Competition in graphics department has been so fast and nvidia and ati needs games to use up that power to justify purchase of new gfx card so they pressure big game houses to up the par on graphics leaving very little room for creativity. And we gamers are just suckered so deep into gfx maze that most don't really care anymore as long as game looks nice.

I'd never even thought about it until you posted this. I definitely miss those days and would love to see it brought back.

edit- never mind. I'm not sure if I understand what was being said

It's not about linear versus non-linear though. Doom, Jedi Knight... these games are linear and yet the levels take some thought to get through. It's about adding another gameplay element other than shooting. A non-linear FPS like Farcry 2 only has the shooting element, there are no puzzles, key hunts or anything else.

not me.I don't care about fancy graphics i want to use my brain while i'm playing a game.(and not only for choosing the right weapon).

I honestly don't care if a game uses directx10 11 or 5000 for that matter or the amount of shaders it uses. It's all about design and how they use the graphics. Hell games like duke nukem 3D, blood, sin and a lot of other older games look more real than some so called realistic looking games nowadays. I just want graphics to be clear, functunal and if it's possible not completely F-ugly. But i do admit if a good game has superb graphics it's a nice bonus ;)

I like good graphics.
I like good art styles that surpass their graphics.
I like timeless gameplay despite graphics.
I also like pure action games that do nothing but have you shoot in a corridor for 5 hours.
I also like games that make you search the environment, figure out where to go and how to get there.
Basically I just despise how every game is the same now-a-days. Every RPG is an action RPG and ever shooter is a pure shooter with simplified gameplay. Everything is being made to emulate Call of Duty or Oblivion and why can't we have DIFFERENT kinds of gameplay?
Gimmie dumb and smart, gimmie simple and complex... I want both.