While it makes the game harder, the default Empire AI is occasionally more stable regarding pathfinding loops.
Get the "Empire Total War Ottoman Turn Lag Fix" script from ModDB or the Total War Center. Action: Run the script while your save game is loaded. empire total war darthmod ottoman turn lag fix top
Manually find the Ottoman faction entries and delete units that consist of only 1-5 men. These "shards" are the primary cause of calculation lag. Summary Checklist for a Fast Campaign Block the Bosphorus with a ship. Run the "Clean Slate" script every 20 turns. Wipe out the Ottoman faction if the lag persists. While it makes the game harder, the default
Capturing the capital forces the AI to reset its army logic. Manually find the Ottoman faction entries and delete
Sometimes the lag is exacerbated by your specific DarthMod configuration. Go to the DarthMod settings menu.