... With this in mind, there is no way for anyone to expect any sort of release date to be announced Not sure what you meant by this.  Professional game companies provide release dates for games and they have the exact same problems you described.  In fact, a quick Google search shows some estimate...

I don't really think most people realize how much the second half of developing a game (or any program) differs from the first. For example, for the most part, the first half is more linear and certain steps are completed in a certian order (i.e. write a script, then design the level, then draw the ...