I don't know if you're like me... But if you ARE like me, then you're an utter programming noob. Still, you like Pyspades - it has a lot of cool features and opens a lot of new avenues for your games. So you want to run your own server too! And you try to install Pyspades, you maybe try your hardest to follow 10se1's guide, but it still just doesn't work right. 10se1 made a decent guide, but it assumes you have certain 'chops' that - quite frankly - you might not have.

I struggled through the process of installing Pyspades, lacking most any form of programming knowledge, and somehow managed to figure it out on my own thanks to numerous Google fact-searches and general experimentation. I wrote down my process as I went, and I'd like to share it here as well. It might not be a perfect guide, but if you're on a Windows OS (I run XP, but it should still work for Vista and 7), it should help you out.

This guide of mine is essentially a more detailed version of 10se1's
Win32 Source Install Guide. Without 10's guide I would've never been able to make my own, so thanks greatly goes to him! =)

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- IMPORTANT EDIT! -
I've learned that downloading the latest version of Pyspades and following matpow2's Quick Start Guide should be all you need to do to run your own Pyspades server. PLEASE try this method before doing my own, as if this method works for you, it's a much faster way to get set up! However, if the quick-start method doesn't work for you (like it didn't work for me), then try my method.

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Step 1
Download the latest version of Pyspades. Unzip the 'dist' folder wherever you like (I tossed it into my Ace of Spades folder myself).

Step 2
Install Python 2.7.1 to its default directory.

Step 3
Go to My Computer, right-click and select Properites. Go to Advanced > Environment Variables. Scroll down the System Variables list until you reach the 'Path' variable. Choose to Edit this, then put the following (without quotes) after the end of whatever already exists in the Variable Value box:

";C:\Python27\;C:\MinGW\bin\;C:\MinGW\lib\gcc\mingw32\4.5.2\"

This should properly install all three variable paths you'll need during this installation.

Step 4
Install Twisted for Python 2.7 to its default directory.

Step 5
Install zope.interface (scroll down near the bottom and look for the "zope.interface-3.6.3.win32-py2.7.‌exe" link) to its default directory.

Step 6
Install MinGW32 to its default directory. You can opt to install all features, but I believe you only need the defaultedly-selected programs to make Pyspades work. (I did install everything though...and keep in mind, it's a 200+ MB download, so it takes a little while if you want to do this.)

Step 7
Install Cython to its default directory.

Step 8
Go to the "C:\Cython-0.14.1" folder and make a new text file (any filename will do). Open it and paste the following information (without quotes) into it:

"python setup.py install build --compiler=mingw32

pause"

Then save it as a .bat and run it. It should set up a number of important things and then close itself automatically. (If you get an error that states "'python' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.", this likely means you did something wrong when adding the Python environment variable; double-check the Path variable and make sure it's completely in order. Keep in mind that each individual path written into the Path variable needs to be separated from the next by a semi -colon.)

Step 9
Install python win32 extensions to its default directory.

Step 10
Install one of the "Mercurial 1.8.4 MSI" installers to its default directory. Choose the version compatible with your computer - x64 if you've got 64-bit, and x86 if you don't.

Step 11
Run CMD by going to Start Menu > Run, typing 'cmd' into the box, and hitting enter. Once cmd.exe runs, type the following into it (without quotes)...

"hg clone https://pyspades.googlecode.com/hg/ pyspades"

MAKE SURE to leave a space before entering 'pyspades' at the end. Now, hit enter, and cmd will start requesting and adding things. Give it some time here; it takes a moment for the process to complete. You'll know it's done once it says "x files updated, x files merged, x files removed, x files unresolved"; at this point it's safe to close cmd.exe (typing 'exit' and hitting enter is the best way to go about it).

Step 12
Go to "C:\Documents and Settings\<your user account name>\pyspades". Run the "build_mingw.bat" file. Like with cmd.exe, give this bat file time to run its processes. It will close itself automatically when it's done.

Step 13
While still in the "C:\Documents and Settings\<your user account name>\pyspades" folder, go to the "feature_server" folder and open the config.txt file. This text file contains a lot of script that you can edit to customize your Pyspades server. There's a lot you can do here, but we'll stick to the basic required set-up for now. (A more complex guide can be found here: http://code.google.com/p/pyspades/wiki/ConfigDotTxt )

- Where it says "pyspades server" -- this is the name of your server. Change the 'pyspades server' text to whatever name you'd like for your server.

- Where it says "map" : "pyspades" -- this is the map that runs when you start your server. Change the 'pyspades' text to the name of whatever map you'd like to run (don't write the .vxl entension at the end though). Pyspades maps are located at "C:\Documents and Settings\<your user account name>\pyspades\feature_server\maps"; you can add more maps to this folder as you like.

- Where it says "admin" : ["replaceme"] -- this is the password field for your server. Typing /login <password> while in your server lets you (and whoever else you'd like) become admins and have full functionality of the admin commands (which can be futher read about by typing /help in-game). Obviously, change the 'replaceme' text to whatever password you'd like for your server.

That should be all you need to set up your Pyspades server. =)

Step 14
Lastly, at the "C:\Documents and Settings\<your user account name>\pyspades" folder, run "run_server.bat". This will open cmd.exe, which will, after a few moments, start up your server! =) Make sure to leave this running as closing it will close your server too.

Step 15 (Optional)
If you're like me and want to organize the whole process a bit better, then make an easy-to-access 'Pyspades' folder in your 'Ace of Spades' directory. Make shortcuts of the "\pyspades\feature_server\maps" folder, the "\pyspades\feature_server\config.txt" file, and the "\pyspades\run_server.bat" file, and put all three things into this new folder. This will enable you to easily edit your server, run your server, and add more maps to use with your server by simply accessing the shortcuts in this new folder. This is much, much easier than running around the different folders they natively exist in. =P

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And therein lies the process that worked for me. I've been able to successfully run Pyspades servers after doing all this, and I hope it works for others too. Feel free to toss me any questions you guys might have as well; I went through a LOT of trial and error, so if you've hit a snag, I might be able to unsnag you as I did myself.

Thanks for reading! =)

Edited by StackOverflow - Moved edit to top of post

You just put the most important thing at the very end. You know, the thing that says, "oops, all of this is probably unnecessary"? It goes at the top. Step 0.

Otherwise, great job! We sure needed a more comprehensive, 'take my hand' kind of guide.

Thanks for that Charem, I needed a good laugh.

And another added note: This is for all the people who want all the custom functionality they can get from pyspades.

However, if you are a simple person who wants a nice server on windows, just download the latest win32 build, edit values in the config file (most importantly the name, and admin password) and then load run.exe.

@hompy - You're right; I should've put my edit at the top. Sorry about that; my brain was quite tired after all the time I spent getting everything to work. (Fortunately Stack moved it up for me.) That being said, this guide is not unnecessary for those people who were having issues using the prebuilt binaries (aka the simple method); you can read my response to TheGrandmaster below as to what problems I was exactly having with them myself.

Secondly, thanks. I tried to be as comprehensive as I could with it, so I appreciate the compliment. =)

@Hubble - Comments like these make me so happy I spent the extra hour writing this guide up after having struggled with the setup for a previous 3 hours. Yeah, the edit should be at the top (and now it is), but it doesn't make my guide moot; read what I said to Grandmaster below.

@TheGrandmaster - The win32 prebuilt builds never worked for me, sadly; I tried working with those first but whenever I ran run.exe after setting things up, they kept erroring and insisting I get "pyOpenSSL" (and even when I did that, the exe continued to say I needed it). Here's some proof: http://neuropod.net/imagehost/uploads/12908b9648ade16735552de6cc0ed4f4.PNG

This guide basically exists for anybody who has this same issues with the prebuilt binaries as I had. Or anyone who just plain wants to install the source or have full functionality, as you said.

@Charem, I moved the edit to the top of your original post. By the way, congrats on post #30000.

Thanks Stack, I appreciate the help! =) I just wrote this up for people having issues with the simple method of installing PySpades, so newbies to the program should definitely try the simple method for starters before resorting to my guide.

And...wow, that's quite a milestone!