I have one simple suggestion.
Remove the timer. Completely remove the timer from the main quest. This game is supposed to be sandbox, why did my MAIN storyline quest suddenly fail? Luckily I formed my Empire already, so at least I've got that, unfortunately I can't continue the questline, making the game a bit less fun. I'll still play it tons, but knowing that I have to quickly progress because there's a deadline on the main quest is, I think, not a great idea.
Remove the timer. Completely remove the timer from the main quest. This game is supposed to be sandbox, why did my MAIN storyline quest suddenly fail? Luckily I formed my Empire already, so at least I've got that, unfortunately I can't continue the questline, making the game a bit less fun. I'll still play it tons, but knowing that I have to quickly progress because there's a deadline on the main quest is, I think, not a great idea.