Since I don't have access to the source code, it was decided that I should be the guy to take on the task of getting our projects set up in their CruiseControl suite.

That in itself is just a little bit of a challenge. The process is generally made easier if the projects involved have Apache Ant or similar setups, which these do. Once the build environment works, there's just a little configuration tweaking to get CruiseControl to behave.

Someone tried to (or perhaps did) get CruiseControl working before, but the stuff in the Ant build.xml is, well, clumsy and probably wrong.

Additionally, they're not using a typical version control software, like CVS or even Subversion. They're at least using something commercial, but, evidently, something everyone hates to use. Probably 'cause we're all so used to the "standard" solutions. Conveniently, both Ant and CruiseControl work with this evil software (I'm being purposefully vague out of respect for the client), but the configuration to make it work is not quite as straightforward, and certainly isn't built-in, as the others are.

I'm in my sixth hour now of trying to get a local installation of CruiseControl to work with this software before I present my proposed changes to the script. More technically, I'm trying to get Ant to work with it first, then I will get my local CruiseControl to work with the Ant script and other configuration files, in accordance with their design.

The problem seems to be that the software isn't widely accepted, and so there's not a lot of people who have run into the problems I'm having, and then have taken the time to post on the Internet their similar questions, or more helpfully, their answers. There are people herein who have had some of these issues; again, more technically it seems, there's another guy...

It's always fun to play with something new, but it's nice if what has been fairly easy to do in the past doesn't just get up and beat the crap out of you with some less popular options.