I don't really like timers in conversations either, I'd rather have time to think about my options over 'realism' in a videogame like this.
Pretty fun mechanic with those flaws, especially if they are optional. You could do a 'normal' run and if you've finished the game once you could add all the crazy stuff you'd like (that's what I'd like to try anyway, I know there's gonna be people who'd do all that stuff from the get go )