New player, questions about Ottoman

Hey guys

I’m a really new player and I’ve just been playing against computers with a couple of my friends. I don’t have plans to play online against people at the moment (I know, probably sounds crazy), I’m having fun just beating computers right now.

Except I’m not beating them. At least on Hard and above.

If I do any research on wikis or look for guides and whatnot, every guide explains pro strategies with lots of jargon I don’t really understand... yeah I’m a casual.

Anyways I just wanna know what kind of style I should play the ottomans just go get the basics down. I struggle to produce good military early on and it takes a while to get ramped up. What military units should I be using? The Calvary seem really weak for example, but perhaps I’m just using them wrong. Basically I just wanna know what my military should consist of and how I can make my economy better, just so I’m good enough to beat computers.

Also while I’m here, is there a tier list for the different civs? Can’t seem to find one anywhere, most people just say French are the best.

Thanks for your help!