While it makes the game harder, the default Empire AI is occasionally more stable regarding pathfinding loops.
It resets the AI's move orders, clearing the "unit shuffling" that causes the CPU to hang. 2. Block the Land Bridge (Physical Fix)
If you don't want the territory, conquer it and trade it to a minor faction like Westphalia or the Knights of St. John. Minor factions rarely suffer from the same pathfinding bloat. 4. DarthMod Launcher Settings
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.
If you are tired of waiting ten minutes for a single turn to process, use these proven fixes to restore your campaign’s speed. 1. The "Clean Slate" Script Fix
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.
Place a single sloop or galley in the sea zone directly between Constantinople and Anatolia.