What happened to the walls?

Used to play classic for a long time, then just recently got back into playing the game. Now everything is renewal. I don't know if it's because of bad memory, but I thought I remembered walls would be transparent where your player was, so you could see your character at all times. Now when I'm playing dungeons, the walls block my view of character making certain maps unplayable. Actually, hills as well. Is this anyone else's experience?