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[Draignean]

So, what would be a case where a timer feels natural?

Fallout 1, the big timer you're told about where your vault will run out of water. Majora's mask, the moon is about to crash into the planet. Most Escape Velocity-like games have mission timers for getting passengers to their destination (usually soft timers where you get paid increasingly awful amounts of money for just keeping passengers in your hold), or timers for specific trade missions- which again makes good sense. Another good Fallout (1, 2? I forget) is one where you deliver some intel to a gang, and they go to make an assault on the rival gang's hideout using the intel. If you say 'I'm not ready' the boss of the gang tells you to get ready quick, because they window they have to make the attack will be gone tomorrow.

If you wait until the window of opportunity closes, the gang leader basically cusses you out and tells you take a long walk off a short pier. Which makes perfect sense.

Most games accept that humans drown when forced to breathe fluids, and provide you with timers that tell you how long it will take before you die or start dying. It's a sensible timer.

Most games have timers, of one variety or another, and it's the obtrusiveness of the timer that makes a difference.

Timers are one item of a toolkit to make situations more tense. They can be used well, and they can be used badly. In reality, every RPG quest should probably have a timer on it- I don't know how long I left the entire Student Body of Winterhold to freeze their asses off in the Tundra before I decided to show up for class. (Many months, after saving the world, killing a servant of a Daedra, and forgetting that I hadn't actually finished their questline.) However, unless the developer has decided to strap on the largest pair of balls/ovaries commercially manufactured and design a system that generates actual quests (and not fetch quest gibberish) in an emergent manner, it's best to let things slide and let most questions go without timing.

[hector13]

From what I remember Alpha Protocol didn't bother me too much in that regard. The game didn't seem to care an aweful lot wither a takedown was lethal or nonlethal, so I did the melee takedowns where I could and it made sense and went shotgun when it didn't.

(And fisticuffs. The martial arts skilltree in that tons of fun for me, and punching people may or may not be nonlethal? Eh.)

‘cept for bosses. Can’t fisticuffs bosses, so I never saw the point in the martial arts ability, especially with the “invisible for a while” move you get via stealth (unbelievably early on too, if you start off as a veteran) which allows you to essentially cheat through encounters. It also breaks the bosses, which is kinda sad. OP ability is OP.

[Egan_BW]

You wot? You totally punched boss's shit in. Not sure if it actually did anything compared to the point-blank shotgun blasts, but I sure did it anyway! The Taiwan boss was most fun because we both had guns, kung-fu, and magical stealth.

[hector13]

Well I think you’ve given me a reason to play through the game again then.

I still have to play through it to keep everyone alive, and then kill everyone.

[Egan_BW]

Note that my memories of the clunky combat mechanics might be better than they actually were, because I overall had a good time with the game. ;V
Though I do recommend punches + shotguns, you unlock a point-blank shot move in the punchy tree which is fun with a shotty.

[AzyWng]

My peeve with Alpha Protocol wasn't the combat or stealth, Obsidian-y as they are.

It's just that, once you've gotten the perks for takedowns and evasions... You get no further bonus from nonlethal play other than a lack of penalties for, say, shooting police officers and pissing off your handler.

Punching people is fun, though, I will agree.

[Egan_BW]

Why should I get a bonus for nonlethal when I'm a cold-blooded killer spy with a goatee and shotgun?

[Rolan7]

And heck, Alpha Protocol is rare in that it rewards switching things up.
The example I've mentioned a couple times before is getting emotional with the interrogator in the framing-device.  By establishing my character as a cool professional, it adds impact when the time-limit (heheh) on responses caused me to snark, or even outright curse my captors.

My mostly-nonlethal playthrough also had moments of calculated assassination, both nameless mobs and well-backstoried characters.

Alpha Protocol is a remarkable example of grey morality without being grimdark.  It tells you exactly what you did (hospital bills stat vs orphans stat~) but really doesn't judge.
Vagueish spoilers:  You can be a complete dick and still be the action hero: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUydx57te9s

[Egan_BW]

I was planning on a mostly aggressive character but ended up picking all the different tones pretty evenly, trying to work out what will get me what I want from the conversation.
Must have worked, I got the perk for screwing everyone possible. ;p

Good game. Maybe I should replay it some time with a different playstyle. Or maybe that would shatter my thin illusion of freedom from the first time.

[Rolan7]

Not only does it reward you for reading the dossiers and using that information to choose your responses...  It makes you buy those dossiers with the same cash you spend on equipment.  I prioritized dossiers and never regretted it (and even on later playthroughs, certain dossiers unlock very useful dialogue options)

Pistol-stealth was enough to beat the game.  Shotguns are great but don't require a lot of points invested, IIRC, and the main pistol-ability...  It's basically HIGH NOON.  Possibly with tranqs.

[Egan_BW]

Didn't use pistols much. Partially because I only realized near the end that tranqing someone in the head causes his buddies to alert because it didn't do enough damage to KO him before the dot finishes him... because I was using pistols that minimize on damage, because I knew I was using tranqs. Oops.

The dossiers were top priority to me, of course. Just because I like to read as much lore as I can. ;P

[Darkmere]

There's actually quite a bit of leeway with Alpha Protocol, even though the main story is always more or less the same. Who helps you and who you take bloody vengeance on was interesting enough for me to enjoy two or three different playthroughs and I still missed quite a bit, judging by the walkthroughs I've read.

[Egan_BW]

I recall at the end of the game I freed that redhead chick and she told me that she was the one who killed that one guy who I was trying to save. At which point I pretty much said "yeah okay but you're hot" and escaped the island with her. Somehow I totally managed to miss the entire area where you're supposed to save the main handler lady, so she presumably died offscreen.

^{_{im a terrible person D:}}

[Rolan7]

(man, she is though.)

The dossiers were top priority to me, of course. Just because I like to read as much lore as I can. ;P

Like, I'm playing Neverwinter MMO, and there's this city quarter that's overrun with devils of Asmodeus.
Except that a couple NPCs seem uncertain, suggesting that something seems off.  And if you search out some hidden lore caches (and especially if you're a tiefling, according to the wiki) you get various snippets which together reveal that the Cult of Asmodeus, Lord of All Devils, the ultimate trickster...  is getting played by the 

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Far-Realm.  The succubus, who did the initial infiltration of a holy church, was never actually loyal to Hell but things from beyond.

And it's just a little disappointing that there's no in-game payoff for figuring this out.  The hints become more obvious, until right before the final battle with the succubus, you get a lore update that basically spells it out.  And that's if you   miss the letter from a cult leader which basically reads "Asmobro, the succubus betrayed us, our brothers are deceived, send help!!" 
You kill the succubus.  Everyone's all "Ah, thanks for stopping the devils!" and sends you off.

For all its good storytelling, Deus Ex has a similar issue.  It doesn't matter whether you figure out anything, the narrative is very linear until the last second.  Though you can choose to avoid killing characters, at least (involving at least two "glitches", arguably).  And you can even save a certain friendly NPC, if you negate his Agency   "I will hold them off for you!" "lol no"

[Darkmere]

^{_{im a terrible person D:}}

My first game I executed Sis. Don't feel bad.

Totally unrelated, but you HAVE TO buddy up with Stephen Heck and have him be your distraction at least once. It's absolutely priceless.