The first game doesn't get any better, however AC2 is a vast improvement and shows the potential that is merely hinted at in the first game.

Don't worry, 2 is a vast improvement over the first., and Brotherhood is a slight improvement over 2 but still worth playing. 2 fixes a lot of the issues 1 had. If you are enjoying the first but are mainly just annoyed at it's faults you will probably enjoy 2 quite a bit.

Well I hated number 1 with a passion. But with number 2.. I loved it to pieces. I can't remember it enough to answer your specific queries but it's heaps better!

They fixed just about everything from AC1 -> AC2. The free running stays a -little- spotty, but otherwise vast improvements. AC2->AC:B sees small fixes and isn't nearly as dramatic of a change.

I've only played AC2 and AC:B and i have no idea what you're talking about, so i'm gonna say those issues are gone in the sequels.

Unfortunately no, you deal with those little issues for most of the game.  I never really had any trouble with the map though, mostly cause I just ran until I found something to hide in, or gave up and killed all the soldiers chasing me.   
  
The way the game ends (not just the story, the gameplay in the last level) is pretty awesome though, so keep going! 
 
One thing you should be aware of if you haven't already found out.  AVOID WATER LIKE THE PLAGUE, one of the last targets you get is on a boat, and many of the paths to get there involve hopping across wooden posts sticking up out of the water.  It frustrated me to no end how many times Altair would just jump off and drown despite me not pressing anything.  

As has been said, those issues won't get better by the end of the first game, but they DO all get better in Assassin's Creed II, and even better than that in Brotherhood. So keep your hope alive. The things you want to get fixed get fixed.

Woot! enjoy the sequel

There are no more "lepers" in AC2, there are these music...dudes, that act like the beggars in AC1 but you can get rid of them pretty easy by chucking some cash at them. 
 
I don't remember anything specific about "informer missions" but overall stealth is easier in the second game and onwards, same thing goes for escaping guards. That part is almost a little too easy now I feel. 
 
Man I remember going back to the original after finishing AC2 just to see the difference, it was astounding how bad it felt in comparison. 

Well done on getting through AC1 that game almost bored me to death. AC2 as mentioned is vastly better but personally, by a bout half way though it had devolved into the same repetition that made me hate AC1, I find AC2: Brotherhood to be vastly superior to both. 

For all its jankiness, I really liked Assassin's Creed.

I never actually finished AC. And I was skeptical about the second - Skeptical enough that I didn't go out and buy it, until the start of this month when it was insanely cheap. I am currently playing AC: Brotherhood, and I have fallen madly in love with the series.  
 
I am, however, still not going to return to AC. I really hated that game.

I did not like the first AC, at all.   I had little desire to play the second one, but did because of what people were saying about it.  AC is now one of my favorite franchises.  The differences between the first one and the second one are huge.

AC1 was pretty rough around the edges. The franchise gets way better as you move along though, so don't become discouraged!

That's why you shouldn't play the first game.

" For all its jankiness, I really liked Assassin's Creed. "

I'm a huge fan of both AC2 and Brotherhood yet I've only briefly played AC. So I've also just gone back to it to give it the attention I feel it deserves. However, it's been driving me mad!
 
 Although on both AC2 and Brotherhood you can still amass a large amount of guards whilst on the run the combat is vastly improved in comparison to AC. In Brotherhood you even get the lazy way out with being able to call in an arrow storm or simply just a couple of your friendly neighborhood assassins.  
 
Yes there are missions which require that you aren't detected to complete. But again the way Ezio moves is a lot smoother to Altair. I also find there are more climbable objects. Basically you can free run wherever you please. Oh and ofc, there is the option to hit B if you jump and miss, so that you cling on. Something I can't seem to be able to do in AC >=[
 
Yes you can still piss off civilians.
 
I'm not too sure what you mean by your last question. Is it about finding targets? I just set them as my objective and follow the smaller map but pull out my menu map if I feel I'm getting lost.

AC2 and Brotherhood have bards, which are annoying but are ok. They're mostly not a problem unless you stab them. You should just throw money down or run away. 
 
Yeah, I don't remember how informer missions worked. Any stealth required mission going forward is pretty easy, basically keep target in sight of the game camera. And stealth is even easier in Brotherhood, usually optional or you can use your assassins to take out guards. 
 
Guards do seem to crowd you in AC2 but the variety in weapons help kill them faster. Plus the smoke bomb makes it real easy to escape or kill a crowd of heavily armored dudes. While the combat in Brotherhood makes it a cakewalk in most instances. 
 
After the first game I don't remember having a problem with the map. Of course, being able to set your own marker helps a lot.

I don't remember those things being that bad, in fact I kinda wanna go back and play 1 again. Am I crazy?

" I don't remember those things being that bad, in fact I kinda wanna go back and play 1 again. Am I crazy? "

" Unfortunately no, you deal with those little issues for most of the game.  I never really had any trouble with the map though, mostly cause I just ran until I found something to hide in, or gave up and killed all the soldiers chasing me.     The way the game ends (not just the story, the gameplay in the last level) is pretty awesome though, so keep going!  One thing you should be aware of if you haven't already found out.  AVOID WATER LIKE THE PLAGUE, one of the last targets you get is on a boat, and many of the paths to get there involve hopping across wooden posts sticking up out of the water.  It frustrated me to no end how many times Altair would just jump off and drown despite me not pressing anything.   "

I enjoyed the first Assassin's Creed when I wasn't being chased by guards, which unfortunately was every five minutes of that game.

" For all its jankiness, I really liked Assassin's Creed. "

the 1st is very flawed but alot of fun ac2 is alot better but also alot easyer one think i miss form ac1

AC1 was more or less a tech demo, it seems like. For the crowd of people, and how they behave etc. But I can imagine it's really frustrating to go from AC2, to that.

Assassin's Creed II and Brotherhood are a couple of my favorite games ever. But the first one is just not great overall. It was a shell of what would eventually become, and a good introduction story-wise. But the repetition of the gameplay just bogs down the whole experience. 
 
Plus, the whole guard status thing in AC1, I never fully understood. They did it much better in the next two games.

" Regarding the above two...Ive spent ages trying to find this bloody bunch of scholars but i just cant work out where they are because the small map is at a different perspective to the big one and i loose my place.   So, does it get better?!?!?! . "

" @Death_Unicorn said:

" For all its jankiness, I really liked Assassin's Creed. "

^^ this :)    you are just too much of a badass to not enjoy it :) "