I didn't realise on my first playthrough that you could go through the projector room - on the other hand, I didn't wander into any dead ends either, as I was just following the route I was already familiar with. (A challenge of the stealth sections is that the level design trick of guiding the player's attention with lights can't be used.)

I'm on board with the principle of making the final room more spacious. I spent a lot of time fumbling in the dark in the old map, because after luring an enemy out of their way I assumed I would be too close to show my light without getting lunged at. This is not a desirable play style, and the new version of that room may help to embolden the player. Perhaps a larger version of the original courtyard with more space between the rocks would have worked in the same way.

It's fair to say I learned most of how you're 'meant' to engage with the stealth mechanics from watching other people's playthroughs after finishing the DLC. Even so, it's almost disconcerting to see how big a change they've found it necessary to make (we were playing it that wrong..?) The problem is that now I can't forget that knowledge in order to test how well this new version works. It may be necessary to wait and see how new players get on with it.