Okay TSR show me how I'm actually supposed to shade this

[Terminal Devastation]

Okay, I quickly whipped up this close up side view of a background tower in a background supplied to me (Henceforth will be refered as the original "ref" and isn't mine at all) for a sprite comicing competition than may or may not have had allowed things like bad background splices and sprite style mixing with no consequence.

tl;dr I made this knowing half assing the shading would be perfectly fine for its function.

Other information: Due to my convoluted method of making sure the proportions are correct this is likely an edit of the type resize-reshade, despite the fact I bothered to C+P jumbo scratched pixels to get the basic outline of the thing. So I wouldn't cheat with the shading too much.

Now TSR, I'm asking you how I should properly shade this mess, since I suck shading cylindrical things this large.

Self-critic tells me the light source is completly messed up and there is too much banding/possible pillowing. As to why I'm posting this before I tried fixing this, it is because I have little to no idea on how to actually begin to fix those on something of this scale and I'd like to avoid making other potential mistakes when I do go back to fix it.

[LeleleleMAXIMUM]

which part are you having problems with?

first off, the base or floor shouldn't be one flat color. and your shading/aa on some parts look pillowed/banded.
any reason why those rungs/steps are shaded exactly the same, except lightened as they go up?

last question: are you sure having the whole thing straight side view is the best approach?

[Elk]

What is that

[Terminal Devastation]

which part are you having problems with?

Honestly, I'm having the most trouble with the base and how it really should be shaded. Since the whole thing is supposed to be a cylinder I want to shade it like a giant one... but not quite sure how to do that without far too many color shades. On the other hand, if I shade it like a cylinder its going to look really odd when I stick charectors on it.

first off, the base or floor shouldn't be one flat color. and your shading/aa on some parts look pillowed/banded.

Understood.

any reason why those rungs/steps are shaded exactly the same, except lightened as they go up?

The original ref has three increasingly extended rungs as it aproaches the lens thing. So its to show they are more towards the foreground, without messing with perspective issues. Part style choice, part being lazy/in a rush. I will test out how actually appling perspective works out, but I'm worried it will mess the details up and end up looking like the rungs are just bigger, rather than more towards the background.

last question: are you sure having the whole thing straight side view is the best approach?

Well, using a 3/4 view might be a little confusing to use, since mostly side view sprites were intended to be used for that, not to mention I'd have to shade a massive, plain flat stone slab, and I have even less clue how to properly shade one of those.

What is that

Its the top of a tower with an oversized lens on top.

[LeleleleMAXIMUM]

what if, say, it was just rotated a bit by its z axis?
ie the lens will have this O shape, but the floor will still be ___
??

because you'll have readability problems with this view (look at Elk's reaction).

[Elk]

Reminded me of the Chaos Gates at .Hack ...

I would make the lens more bi-convex to give it more depth, atleast

Aswell, the round platform surface, needs a gradient on its border aswell, since it's round.
Right now it looks square with cracks