I remember reading how the timer in Titanfall was designed to allow anyone to get their titan in a match, so no one will be left out. As long as it provides a variety of ways to get the build time ticking, this might not be such a problem. I don't want to hunt and kill minions every time I want a titan.
I think the biggest impact of this change is on come back mechanics. It will be more difficult to turn the tide in a losing game. In extreme scenario (0 vs 6 titans) the winning team will have easier time denying enemy titanfall (e.g. by protecting AI, hiding pilots) Also, in T1 player joining the server mid-game often has a timer reduced or even instant titanfall available. This may not be possible in T2 due to this changes
Good point on the joining mid/late game, it'll be interesting to see what happens. I wonder what respawn will be analysing in the upcoming multiplayer tech tests, and if titan timing is one of them..
And then there are players like me, who have bad impulse control and went all Wolverine rage mode to get that counter down. "Oh, look, a jump pod of grunts just landed over there! Let's go say hello to speed up Mr. Stompy Time."