Compiling DFHack for Windows is actually really easy if explained, and it doesn't require a zillion programs, just four.
You need:
CMake
Git - I prefer Github or mysysgit for these purposes (simple command line stuff).
Perl - Strawberry Perl is simplest
Visual Studio 2010 Express for C#
- Install all four of the above programs.
- Hold down Shift and right-click in an empty space on your desktop. Select "Open command window here".
- Type "git clone -b develop git://github.com/dfhack/dfhack.git" and hit Enter. (Remove the "-b develop" part if you don't want the development branch version, but you usually will.)
- Type "cd dfhack" and hit Enter.
- Type "git submodule init" and hit Enter.
- Type "git submodule update" and hit Enter.
- Close the command prompt and open the DFHack folder you just made and then open the Build folder inside of that.
- Double-click on 'generate-MSVC-gui.bat'.
- In the window that pops up, uncheck the box that says "DL_RUBY", then click Configure, and lastly click Generate.
- Close that window and enter the new VC2010 directory that was created and double-click on dfhack.sln.
- Open the "Solution Explorer" tab to the right, scroll down to "PACKAGE", and then right-click on it and hit "Build".
- When it eventually finishes running, open the new folder "_CPack_Packages", then the folder "win32", then the folder "ZIP", and you will have your very own zipped-up DFHack build.
Thank you for trying to teach a man to fish here!
" .. it doesn't require a zillion programs, just four." That part made me laugh.
Don't get me wrong, I think your step by step manual would probably help. I am looking for something in the difficult level of "Right click, save as... ; unzip; start up; siren (to get the bugged dwarfes to walk again) ; drybuckets and then some autodump" (and god I love the autoselect building)
cheers