My first go with the Turks: Volume II

[caravel]

I have 3 generals with 4 stars in the north, 1 5 star general, and an 8 star heir. Overall I am satisfied with how things went and where I stand, sadly most of my forces are dominated by THA's and AHC with sacren infantry. While this force structure served me well it wont hold up in battle against the massive army if the french.

Don't be so sure... invest in morale upgrades (religious buildings), and have two bases for training troops. A base for producing heavily armoured AHC and Saracens and another for lightly armoured ones for the desert. Don't forget that Ghazis make good flankers against those armoured european troops. Try unleashing them on the flanks of some Chivalric Sergeants.

1. A general concensus on Turcoman foot soldiers? Nice scrappy unit that I liken to bohemian bowmen. Should I invest in them?

They're cheap and cheerful, and better than archers. They're also armoured, but their morale is poor. You may as well produce these though, as produce archers, and they have a valour bonus in anatolia. Futuwwa are better IMHO, as they make good flankers. I have often decimated the AI using well time Futuwwa rushes. Turcoman Foot's armour and rabble formation means they fare better when under fire however.

2. AHC, while a nice unit they cant handle heavy horse units what should I be looking for to replace these unit? I use them mostly for flanking and occasional charges.

They're not supposed to handle other heavy cavalry, that is the spearmen and polearms/axes role. You can still use the AHC to flank the enemy cav and finish the job. When trained in Armenia with a master horsebreeder, they get +2 valour, add some armour to that and you've got one of the best cavalry units there are. You're only alternatives are Ghulam Cavalry or Khwarazmian Cavalry but those two are overpriced and still not better than AHC.

3. What units come available to me in the "middle era" ?

Once you've teched up to Janissaries you may want to replace Futuwwa and Turcoman foot with JI. These will be available in the high era (1205 - 1320)

4.Prepare for the mongols or press the offensive? The north is open, the Polish are in taters and the Bohemians are really all that is left between me and the Baltic sea. While I am inclined to press the offensive, my goal isnt to get complete conquest ASAP. The mongols are coming and while gamey (imho) I have a choke point in Georgia (fortress with lots of spears).

You'll have to secure Georgia, Armenia, Khazar, and Volga Bulgaria from the mongols. They can appear in any of those provinces, though usually always Khazar. If you don't prepare you will lose a lot of your core provinces, but it makes for an interesting campaign.