i just tried to do a quick mock-up in wings, given that two of the sides have only 3 stairs each, i figure it's a POV trick. i couldn't exactly duplicate it since i made it all out of one cube. if it's not that, then it has to be different angles. like those places where the car supposedly goes uphill if you turn off the engine (even though you're going downhill and the surrounding countryside fools you). so yeah, it might be that as well, based on the angle the bottom of the stairs part is inclined at (the stairs could be going down while the bottom is inclined up). the light definetely plays a lot in this, the shadows tricking you as well. in conclusion, you're an evil man, Jimi. Awesome work :) drac