Inside the folder Resources/Effects, there are all the units listed with a n2 before them. ie.. n2_neutrals_orc.

Just to highlight - this is the 'effects' folder. All the unit skills are located in the 'skills' folder. What's this for?

Plus, examining these files shows that many of the skills in Resources/Skills are not there. Some of them are, but many are pulled out. I also don't see anything extra added in off hand.

effects are controllable in game effects.

skills are reference files to not only the in-game effects the skill will use, but also the graphic effects, descriptions, etc.

not all of the skill files are used. Likewise, not all of the effects files are used.

keeping them separate allows resources files to be modified without having to change the reference files, and vice versa.

Yep - that I know. I've made quite a few new abilities. My post wasn't very clear, so here is a different version.

In Resources/Skills: there are 2 major 'types' of files.
1) Base skills files which code how the skill triggers (how much AP, battle/global/passive, the icon it has, enemy/friendly, range, etc..) An example of this is: n2_n_poison_strike.
2) Unit skill trees. These are either grids for leaders, or a simple tree for regular units. For example, the file empire_wizard, which when opened looks like this:

grid "empire_wizard"
{
unit_start 1 1;
unit_skill "n_invulnerability" 1 1 2 1;
uses 1;
}

Now, lets take a visit in the Resources/Effects folder. Like above, there are 2 major types of files:
1) Base effect files which link to host files from the 'skill' folder. This describes the exact details of the effect (stat mods, damage) and applies graphic FX, etc..
2) Unit skill trees, kinda like in the skills folder. This is where my question is, because if we look at the n2_empire_wizard tree in the 'Effects' folder, he looks like:

// profile ID
ID "empire_wizard"
{


}

Where did the invulnerability go?

Why do some units in the effects folder match those in the skills folder? For example: here is demons_fiend in SKILLS folder:

grid "demons_fiend"
{
unit_start 1 1;
unit_skill "n_poison_strike" 1 1 2 1;
}

And here is the n2_demons_fiend file in the EFFECTS folder:

// profile ID
ID "demons_fiend"
{

skill n_poison_strike;

}


So why are there matches in some cases, but in others there are not?

Also, I don't see any 'new' skills in the effect folder for units - it either has the same or less. I'm just not understanding why there are less. I also don't understand why even have them there in the first place. I've been making quite a few new skills, and have never had to make a new file for the unit skill tree in the effects folder for it. They always work just fine.

Is this what the AI uses?

ah, yeah, now I see what you're getting at.

my guess is these are junk files that aren't used but they just left them there in case they decided to change how they divided things up. looks like they went with putting the skill grids in the skills folder instead.

that's just a guess, but I haven't seen any in game changes when I mod any of those weird files in the effects folder.

I think those are dummy files.

Sounds like that's what it is then.

When I was first going through them all and comparing the differences between the effects folder and skills folder, I kinda felt the AI seems to follow the effects folder more. I've never seen the AI use some abilities on units in the skills folder, and when I open up that file in the effects folder, it wasn't there. But I haven't really looked at it beyond a couple of comparisons - so it's likely a false hunch.

I'll mess around a bit with them, see if anything comes of it.

naw, I've created custom abilities and put them in the regular skill grids that the AI uses just fine.