Thorakitai
Learned
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2020
- Messages
- 284
![8DaMEQK.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/8DaMEQK.jpg)
The year is 1189, and Eurasia is wracked by a sea of conflicts. Medieval Europe and the Islamic Middle East clashed once again as Saladin, ruler of the Ayyubid dynasty, conquered Jerusalem, and the Pope called for the Third Crusade, with Philip II of France, Richard I of England, and Frederick I of the Holy Roman Empire joining forces to free Jerusalem for Christendom.
China is divided into three dynasties: the Jin Dynasty, founded by Jurchen nomads who conquered Northern China; the Western Xia, founded by Buddhist Tangut people; and the Song Dynasty, who established themselves in Southern China after being driven out of the north by the Jin. Both the Jin and Song dynasties engaged in a fierce conflict for the supremacy of China, while Western Xia stood neutral.
Despite these conflicts currently taking place, a single Khan in Mongolia hopes to unite the quarreling Mongol tribes and later lead his people into a massive quest of conquest that would change the face of history forever.
![lHrq4rB.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/lHrq4rB.jpg)
![LCY2cjY.png](https://i.imgur.com/LCY2cjY.png)
Genghis Khan IV PS1 OST - Overture
Genghis Khan: Aoki Ookami to Shiroki Mejika IV (translated as Genghis Khan IV: The Blue Wolf and the White Deer) is a turn-based grand strategy game, and it's the fourth game in the Genghis Khan series (third if you're going by overseas release date given that the 3rd GK Khan is treated as the 2nd game in the West). Released on the PC in 1998 and the PS! version in 1999, I'll be playing the later version. Unlike Koei's Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Nobunaga's Ambition, where you play as Chinese or Japanese warlords, respectively, in order to unite and take over their respective countries, Genghis Khan has you play as one of the many rulers of Eurasia in order to conquer the known world. Its gameplay is also a unique mix of 4x games like Civilization, yet it is still a grand strategy game at heart.
Unfortunately, this is the last game in the Genghis Khan series, and due to the low sales in comparison to its two mainline series, it was cut short and thus never released in English, unlike the other games.
How am I going to play this despite my clear lack of knowledge regarding Japanese?
![8tnavL7.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/8tnavL7.jpg)
Through a rather convoluted and brute-force method using Google Translate's feature of directly translating images, thus:
1. I took screenshots of the menus and UI.
2. Used Google Translate's direct image translation.
3. Then I used Photoshop to add text next to the JP text for easy identification.
All that hard work was because I loved Koei's strategy games, especially the historical simulation ones.
1. Wanna have the chance to play the game yourself?
Update: The links from that forum are all dead so here's the new download links I've made for myelf.
1. Here's the iso for Genghis Khan IV. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sv8evMmWmuF6A5l3qKy2FTeehYGp-e_5/view?usp=sharing
2. Here's the iso for the PUK. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SyEFWYlMRKh6BX1084RxuOB2XTP-orK0/view?usp=sharing
3. And here's the partial english translation that only works if you only have the OG version installed and not the PUK. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cf3Kmr2lj_3eQivt0XCvYRfYeAflWwXB/view?usp=sharing
To Install GKIV on your PC:
Mount the img files using a virtual CD-program like Daemon Tools or WinCDEmu and run the autoplay.
After installing, right-click the GK shortcut and set the following settings.
-Set compatibility to Windows XP Service 3.
-Run as Adminstrator
>Keep your appropriate GK Img file mounted on your virtual cd (Vanilla for Vanilla, PUK for PUK) at all times or the game will refuse to run and will prompt you to mount the GKIV disk
-Have fun!
Besides a glitch where the BGM isn't playing, the game surprisingly works well on my Windows 10 PC. Searching the Japanese internet reveals a way to restore the BGM but all the links to the required files are dead, so may as well
Genghis Khan IV PC soundtrack:
1. Overture (Ruler select screen)
2. Japanese Strategy
3. East Asian Strategy
4. Mongolian Strategy
5. Mongolian Strategy 2
6. Indian and Southeast Asian Strategy
7. Islamic Strategy
8. Eastern European Strategy
9. Western European Strategy
10. Offensive Battle
11. Defensive Battle
12. Siege Battle
13. Outnumbered Battle (Plays in battles if your ruler or an heir is outnumbered by the enemy)
14. Banquet
15. Love Scene
16. Diplomacy
Genghis Khan IV PS1 soundtrack
https://www.zophar.net/music/playstation-psf/aoki-ookami-to-shiroki-mejika-iv-genghis-khan
For those who want to play the game but are Japanese illiterate.
Here's are links to two pdf files I've made. This from the GKIV PUK game manual that I've google translated, it explains how the game works, controls and all the useful information needed to give context.
This one contains translated screenshots of menus for the PS1 port of the game.
List of Scenarios and it's playable nations.
![hwyo6ym.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/hwyo6ym.jpg)
This is the map of Eurasia in Scenario 1189, which I chose due to having more playable rulers. I'll let you guys decide which ruler I'm going to play as to conquer the world. Let's meet the rulers.
![YjFfsKg.png](https://i.imgur.com/YjFfsKg.png)
Born Temujin, his life started off rough, with his father being killed by a rival tribe and his father's tribe abandoning him and his family, forcing them to survive in the steppes by themselves. Despite this, he overcame this harsh time, and with the assistance of the Keraits,he managed to become Khan of his tribe. Later, he defeats a coalition of Mongol tribes who stood against him, which includes the Keraits and the Jadarans led by Jamukha, and later becomes Khan of all the tribes, renaming himself Genghis Khan, beginning his goal of world conquest.
Given that this game is named after him, it's no surprise that Mongol Empire is easily the most powerful nation in the game. Genghis has extremely good stats and skills, and he has the largest number of officers, and all of them are good. He starts off allied with the Kerait, but almost all of his surrounding neighbors are hostile to him. The above advantages and having the extremely powerful Mongol Cavalry as a military unit mean he'll be dominating them and the world sooner than later. A very easy game.
![YXfQcUB.png](https://i.imgur.com/YXfQcUB.png)
The Jadarans are said to have descended from a legendary Mongol ancestor and were one of the leading Mongol tribes. Jamukha was a childhood friend, a blood brother, and eventually a bitter and determined rival to Genghis Khan. Betrayed by his own men, Genghis gave his old friend the choice that he rejoin him with no problems, but Jamukha refused and insisted that he is to be killed bloodlessly because he will never stop opposing him
The Jadarans are good overall but are heavily outclassed by the Mongol Empire in terms of quality (only Jamukha and his officer Jebe are good, but the rest are mediocre) and quantity (only 6 officers vs. Genghis' 10). He's still a powerhouse in his own right due to being able to recruit the Mongolian Cavalry.
![7PXwYvX.png](https://i.imgur.com/7PXwYvX.png)
The Kereits were one of the oldest and most powerful Mongol tribes. Toghril Khan was essentially the best friend of Genghis Khan's father, who helped him regain control of his tribe after a civil war and later helped Genghis' rise to power when he was weak. Unfortunately, he became worried by Genghis' alarming rise and, persuaded by his son and Jamukha, stood against him, but he lost and was killed trying to flee.
The Kereits are the weakest Mongol country of the trio. Their leader is good, but he's not as good as Genghis or Jamukha and he's old and likely to die soon, while his successor and the rest of the officers range from bad to mediocre. He starts off allied with Genghis, though, so it might provide enough time to build up and expand before the alliance expires and hope the Jadarans weaken Genghis enough. He can recruit Mongolian cavalry to his advantage.
![w8XWTzy.png](https://i.imgur.com/w8XWTzy.png)
The Jin Dynasty was founded by Jurchen nomads who rebelled against their overlord, the Lia Dynasty, and conquered Northern China from the Song Dynasty, who were driven to flee to Southern China, where they engaged in fierce on-off wars for control of the entire country. Later, they lost their nomadic heritage and essentially became a Chinese dynasty no different from the Song. They later became embroiled in a bitter and desolate war against the Mongol Empire after the defeat of Western Xia and were eventually conquered.
The Jin Dynasty starts off with three cities, but they have a low cultural level (besides their capital, which has a high weapons culture), and they have few officers of mediocre quality to manage them properly. They start off surrounded by multiple countries but are allied with the Western Xia and the Song Dynasty; however, the latter are hostile to the Jin and will likely attack once the alliance expires, and worse, the Mongol Empire is hostile to them as well. On the plus side, the Jin can recruit a multitude of military units, such as cavalry, bow cavalry, crossbows, and siege units such as artillery and siege towers.
![UqGoCj8.png](https://i.imgur.com/UqGoCj8.png)
The Western Xia was founded by Tibetan nomads and essentially adopted a Chinese-style government with Buddhism as their religion. They were mostly neutral in the conflict between the Jin and the Song, although they did make brief attempts at expansion at the expense of the above. They later became the first target of the Mongol Empire, which was vassalized after being defeated and utterly destroyed after it tried to rebel against them.
The Western Xia, or Xi Xia, have two cities of low cultural level and multiple officers of good quality, but some of them, including the ruler, are elderly. The successor is young and a good military officer with good stats. Their military roster enables them to recruit cavalry and bow cavalry, which gives them an advantage. They start off allied with the Jin Dynasty, but the Song and the Mongol Empire are hostile and will likely attack them.
![ownyw10.png](https://i.imgur.com/ownyw10.png)
The Song Dynasty was established after the collapse of the previous Tang Dynasty and adopted an economic-focused system of rule. While this enabled them to develop a rich commercial, industrial, and academic edge. It made them weak against military threats, given how they were driven out to Southern China by the Jin Dynasty after correctly guessing that they didn't stand a chance, although they weren't pushovers in successfully defending against the Jin.
The Song Dynasty or Southern Song have two cities of high cultural level, and their officers have good political stature and skills but not militarily. Fortunately, the high cultural level of their cities enables them to recruit officers of high quality. Their military roster is nearly identical to that of the Jin Dynasty, except they lack bow cavalry and only have catapults as siege units. They start off allied with Jin, but they are on bad terms and will likely attack the Song once the alliance expires, and the Mongol Empire, Xi Xia, and the Ly Dynasty don't like them either.
![snO1Spm.png](https://i.imgur.com/snO1Spm.png)
The Kingdom of Goryeo starts in a rough position. They have a single city of low cultural level; their ruler is terribly mediocre; and his two remaining officers are good but start off with low loyalty. Their military roster is poor as they lack the horse specialty item to even recruit their available cavalry unit. They border the powerful Kamakura Shogunate, who may decide to attack the country if they aren't protected, and worse, the Mongol Empire hates them as well. Their only advantage is that they have quality specialty goods to trade with, enabling them to earn funds quickly and boost their city's cultural level.
![SOGR2IY.png](https://i.imgur.com/SOGR2IY.png)
The Kamakura Shogunate was established by Minamoto Yoritomo of the Minamoto Clan, a Samurai Clan that rose to power after the Genpei War, in which he defeated the Taira Clan, another prominent and longtime rival samurai clan that took control of the imperial government.
The Kamakura Shogunate starts off in a great position; their only neighbors are the weak Kingdom of Goryeo and the outclassed Hiraizumi Administration. They have many officers of good quality, and they can recruit Samurai, a bow cavalry unit that stands up to the powerful Mongolian Cavalry. Their only problem is that the small area of Japan limits the construction of facilities to improve the cities.
![sm58rBi.png](https://i.imgur.com/sm58rBi.png)
The Hiraizumi Administration is led by the Fujiwara clan, a once prominent noble clan that once ruled Japan, but assertive emperors and the rise of the Samurai class rendered them to the point of irrelevance.They were neutral in the Genpei, but after sheltering Minamoto Yoshitsune, brother of Yoritomo, the Kamakura Shogunate declared them a threat and destroyed them, unifying Japan.
The Hiraizumi administration starts off in a poor position. Their single city has little room to expand, and most of it is under the Kamakura's influence. Both the ruler and his successor are nothing special in terms of stats. Their remaining officers, Minamoto Yoshitsune and Benkei, are another story, being excellent military officers but poor politicians. With their strength, they might be able to resist and even conquer Kamakura. Just like the Kamakura, they can recruit the powerful Samurai Cavalry.
![N0XWCqQ.png](https://i.imgur.com/N0XWCqQ.png)
Tibet is located and surrounded by a mountain range that makes it very easy to defend against hostile attacks, but their few officers have poor military stats, and they start off lacking horses in their territory, which limits their military roster. Their advantages are that their officers have good political stature, their city has a good academic and cultural level that gives them the chance to have officers of good quality, and the Mongol Empire likes them.
![Yy8GHeV.png](https://i.imgur.com/Yy8GHeV.png)
The Ly Dynasty of Vietnam starts off in a rough state. Only having three officers of average quality and being able to recruit weak military units means their neighbors, the Song Dynasty and the Khmer Empire, can crush them with ease. Their only advantage is that they are in economic trade, given that they are surrounded by specialty goods that they can sell at a high price.
![3PL4p0V.png](https://i.imgur.com/3PL4p0V.png)
The Angkor, commonly known as the Khmer Empire, starts off with an excellent starting point. Their ruler has excellent stats and skills, though he is rather old, and he has an okay successor ready. Their city has a high architectural culture that gives their facilities a high chance of surviving natural disasters. They can recruit elephant cavalry and horse archers (although they can't recruit the latter due to a lack of horses in their area), and their only neighbor is the weak Ly Dynasty. They have the potential to freely expand and bide their time to take over at the right moment.
![YJLV1Uc.png](https://i.imgur.com/YJLV1Uc.png)
The Qara Khitai or the Western Liao is a Central Asian country founded by Khitan nomads who were driven out of China after the Jin and the Song destroyed the Liao Dynasty. While the Jin Dynasty, they retained their nomadic roots but also kept the Chinese-style government that their predecessor practiced.
They start with two cities surrounded by plentiful resources (including horses) to trade with, and their military roster is well-rounded if rather unimpressive. All to balance their rather mediocre but skilled roster of officers, their ruler has no successor to retain his country, and their neighbors, the Khwarezm Empire and the Ghurid Dynasty, hate them.
![sURvqXk.png](https://i.imgur.com/sURvqXk.png)
The Kwarizem Empire started as vassals to the Seljuk and later the Qara Khitai but became a great power in their own right to the point where they destroyed the former and rendered the latter irrelevant, but were always wrecked by instability that led to one ruler being replaced in a coup by another. They later made the mistake of killing Genghis Khan's ambassadors, who only wanted to trade and forge an alliance, which resulted in Genghis' armies utterly destroying the empire and massacring the populace.
The Kwarizem Empire starts with two cities with balanced cultural levels. The ruler has average stats, but he's old and not likely to last long, and the Qara Khitai, the Ghurid Dynasty, and especially the Mongol Empire hate them. Thankfully, his officers are of good quality, his country's military roster is strong, and he has a talented successor soon to be born and other good officers in his country ready to be recruited.
![AZjTHyd.png](https://i.imgur.com/AZjTHyd.png)
The Ghurid Dynasty started off as a vasal state in Afganistan ruled by powerful empires such the Seljuks until they rebelled after the later being weakened and became an empire. Interesting it functioned as a dyarchy (dual rule) between brothers, with the senior ruler set in the capital at Afganistan while junior ruler is in India to continue his expansion. Unfortunately, they lose to the combined forces of the Khwarezem Empire and Qara Khitai and the junior ruler got assassinated. However, their remaining powerbase eventually developed into the Delhi Sultante and spread the religion of Islam to the entirety of the Indian continent.
The Ghurid Dynasty starts off with a unique starting position. Their two cities and the officers that reside in them are from different cultures, Islamic and Indian, respectively. This enables them to recruit both Islamic and Indian military units but also requires that the unit be led by a general of appropriate culture, or else the unit's attack power is halved. Otherwise, their officers are of good quality, which they'll need as the Khwarezem Empire, the Qara Khitai, and the Hindu Dynasty are all hostile towards them.
![4psxnqB.png](https://i.imgur.com/4psxnqB.png)
The Hindu Dynasty (Koei mashing several minor Indian dynasties into one faction) starts with a single city of average culture level in a safe and remote area filled with plentiful resources and enough space to expand and build a city or two before fighting the Ghurid Dynasty. Their officers are of good quality.
![fPGIPUO.png](https://i.imgur.com/fPGIPUO.png)
The Ayyubid Dynasty was established by Saladin, a general of the Zengid Dynasty of Iraq, after he overthrew the Fatmid Dynasty in Egypt. He later conquered Iraq, defeated and conquered the Crusader States, and later fought the Third Crusade to a stalemate and settled for a truce offered by Richard I of England.
The Ayyubid Dynasty is the most powerful nation in the Middle East. Their two cities of Cairo and Damascus have a high culture level; their ruler, Saladin, is one of the best rulers in the game with many skills and excellent stats; he has enough blood relatives that success is assured; his officers are of good quality; and they can recruit excellent military units including the Roman Empire's unique Flamethrower unit. They start off allied with the Abbasid Caliphate, and their only immediate threat is the Roman Empire, but they are hated by nearly every nation in Europe.
![DeDxYsv.png](https://i.imgur.com/DeDxYsv.png)
Once a powerful empire that spanned from North Africa to Persia, the Abbsaid Caliphate is reduced to a rump state in Baghdad where they are only used by other rising empires like the Sejluks and the Kwarizem for their religious authority and the Abbsaids attempting to use them to restore their lost authority only to fail miserably. They were eventually destroyed by one of Genghis Khan's sons.
The Abbsaid Caliphate starts with a single city with a high academic culture level, enabling them to recruit officers of good quality. Their starting officers are also good. Their military roster is identical to the Ayyubids', but they lack siege units to recruit, but they have the unique Assassins to make up for it. They start off with an alliance with the Ayyubids.
![hMh7p71.png](https://i.imgur.com/hMh7p71.png)
The Almohad Caliphate starts with two cities with no roads to connect them and is surrounded by hostile Western European countries. Makkarech has a good level of culture, while Tunis does not. Their ruler is quite good, and his officers are of good quality, while his only worthwhile military unit is the camel cavalry.
![THktT34.png](https://i.imgur.com/THktT34.png)
The Eastern Roman Empire has survived for a long time as despite disasterous defeats, political instability due to weak emperors and court intrigue and being surrounded by enemies from both Medieval Europe and Islam, they still come up strong albeit with reduced territorial holdings. The reign of Isaac II saw the beginning of the end for the empire as his rule saw widespread corruption and the slow lost of further territory gained from his predessors and not only he picked unecessary fight with Third Crusade, his disasterous reign would pave the way for infamous Fourth Crusade...
The
![KGzbYT6.png](https://i.imgur.com/KGzbYT6.png)
The Principality of Kiev starts with the two cities of Novgorod and Kiev. Their officers are average at best, but they can recruit good military units. They are allied with the Roman Empire, a great trading partner, and are friendly with Norway, with no hostile countries. Their only immediate neighbor is Poland and that's not even much of problem given how weak they are.
![AdfM6RF.png](https://i.imgur.com/AdfM6RF.png)
Poland starts off rough; their ruler, Casimir II, is rather average in stats, but he's old and soon to die, and his successor, Leszek, is even worse. They are surrounded by powerful neighbors; the closest is the Pricipality of Kiev. At least their only remaining officer is good, and their military units are good, although they lack cavalry, and their neighbors neither like nor dislike them.
![JIPhka5.png](https://i.imgur.com/JIPhka5.png)
Hungary starts off in an interesting position. Their ruler, Bela III, has great stats, but he's rather old and he'll die soon, and his successor is rather bad. At least the remaining officers are good. Their land is surrounded by rich resources, and given that they are allied with the Roman Empire, they can be an excellent trading partner. Their military units are unique in that they can recruit powerful European units while also having bow cavalry.
![mjxVYd9.png](https://i.imgur.com/mjxVYd9.png)
Norway starts off in a faraway and safe location where they can safely build and expand at their own leisure. The officers are good, but the only military unit that's actually special is the Viking, a powerful infantry unit that has an attack bonus on water tiles. Unfortunately, the Holy Roman Empire, France, and England hate them, so they'll need to bide their time well.
![70HLyYS.png](https://i.imgur.com/70HLyYS.png)
The Republic of Venice starts off with one city that has a high level of culture but only has two elderly officers, including their leader. Dandolo is rather average, but he has the negotiation skill that allows him to make less loyal officers from other countries defect, and his only officer has good political and intelligent stats. They can recruit good military units, which they'll need as the Holy Roman Empire and the Roman Empire hate them.
![D4xcwIs.png](https://i.imgur.com/D4xcwIs.png)
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies starts off rough. Their area allows only a few facilities to be built, his officers are nothing special, France, the Roman Empire, Venice, and the Almohad Caliphate hate him, and the ruler is old. Because he has no heir, it's game over if he dies. At least the faction can recruit the powerful Vikings.
![QouXYtY.png](https://i.imgur.com/QouXYtY.png)
The Holy Roman Empire starts off with two cities far away from each other: one in Italy and one in Germany. The Ruler, Friedrich I, has extremely great stats and skills, although not as good as Philip II. His officers are good, and he can recruit excellent military units, including crossbowmen, but his neighbors, England and France, are just as powerful, and they don't like him.
![gSKp7xK.png](https://i.imgur.com/gSKp7xK.png)
France starts off strong. Their ruler, Philip II, is the best character in the game, with extremely good stats and skills, and his officers are good. Their neighbors, England and the Holy Roman Empire, are hostile to him just as they are hostile to each other. His military units are similar to those of England and the Holy Roman Empire, but they can recruit Siege Towers.
![GlslEkn.png](https://i.imgur.com/GlslEkn.png)
England is led by Richard I, and he's the guy with the highest war stat, a good intelligence stat, but a low stat in politics, but he has good officers to make up for it. His neighbors, France and the Holy Roman Empire, are just as powerful, and they hate him just as much as they hate each other. His military roster is similar to that of France and the Holy Roman Empire but lacks siege weapons, but he can recruit longbowmen.
![UnorK1k.png](https://i.imgur.com/UnorK1k.png)
The Kingdom of Castile starts out in the center of Spain. Their officers are good, their location allows them to build facilities, and they have plentiful resources, but their biggest problem is that they lack horses and can't recruit their cavalry unit. Given that they are next to the very unfriendly Almohad Caliphate, which can recruit cavalry units, this is going to be a fight for survival.
And these are all the rulers of the game. There are 33 in all, so take your time in choosing what faction I should play as. This is my very first LP, so go easy on me for a bit, but don't be afraid to ask me some questions nor tell me I'm doing something wrong.
Contents.
Tibet (PS1 Playthrough)
Chapter 1:The Land is peaceful. For now.
Chapter 2: Comfy build up in Tibet
Chapter 3: Eye of the Storm
Chapter 4: The long road to India
Chapter 5: The invasion of Delhi and the elephant rampage.
Kingdom of Sicily (PC Playthrough)
Chapter 1: Vikings in Italy
Chapter 2: Tunis must be destroyed.
Chapter 3: The New Era
Chapter 4: "Holy" "Roman" "Empire"
Chapter 5: Battle for Venice
Chapter 6: Rise to power
Chapter 7: Pest Control
Chapter 8: Empire Building
Chapter 9: The Battle for Europe
Chapter 10: War of the Lions
Chapter 11: An Explosive discovery
Chapter 12: The conquest of the West and...
Chapter 13: Tidal Wave of Islam
Chapter 14: Sicilian Crusade
Chapter 15: The Norman Empire
Chapter 1:The Land is peaceful. For now.
Chapter 2: Comfy build up in Tibet
Chapter 3: Eye of the Storm
Chapter 4: The long road to India
Chapter 5: The invasion of Delhi and the elephant rampage.
Kingdom of Sicily (PC Playthrough)
Chapter 1: Vikings in Italy
Chapter 2: Tunis must be destroyed.
Chapter 3: The New Era
Chapter 4: "Holy" "Roman" "Empire"
Chapter 5: Battle for Venice
Chapter 6: Rise to power
Chapter 7: Pest Control
Chapter 8: Empire Building
Chapter 9: The Battle for Europe
Chapter 10: War of the Lions
Chapter 11: An Explosive discovery
Chapter 12: The conquest of the West and...
Chapter 13: Tidal Wave of Islam
Chapter 14: Sicilian Crusade
Chapter 15: The Norman Empire
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