Thanks for the support, guys!

Yep, the more I look at it, the more I prefer the simple shadow effect... and now that you're pointing it out, I agree about the port too.
There are not only zeppelins (flying creatures, airships propelled by air elementals, etc), so the spaces are not really an issue. But still, it do looks too complex, "overloaded" and the "skyfront" is indeed not well connected (like "skyfront" by the way ).

To put it short, let's rework it!