...sounds much more complicated and difficult to me (a non-coder) than:
1) Go to python progamming website.
2) Download windows installer from "quick links" on left of the front page (It's well marked and conspicuous).
3) Run installer with default choices (nothing fancy, lengthy, or vague, very easy to do!).
4) After install, use standard good old windows explorer to go to the maps folder.
5) Open the compile.py file.
6) Sit back and relax as maps start compiling and updating as needed, unattended.
Yes, the python method is really that easy!
1) copy UFOAI\base\maps\Makefile.win to UFOAI\Makefile
2) copy make.exe to UFOAI\
3) edit Makefile and correct two paths
4) run make.exe
5) Sit back and relax as maps start compiling and updating as needed, unattended.
Sounds even easier than what you wrote down there, hmmm? Plus the big advantage to this method is that you don't need to get extra tools to do this. You might think it's no big deal, but when you start to dabble with the rest of the game development you'll find that you have to keep doing this. SVN? Download extra software. Compiling? Download extra software. Run script A? download extra software. Run script B? Download extra software because it's in a different language than script A. So when there's a method for compiling maps that re-uses software you're already using for something else, that is immensely preferrable to getting python from where I stand.
'Course, it didn't work for him, but I'm going to assume he messed it up.