<s>
In	O
a	O
MUD	B-Application
or	O
MMO	B-Application
,	O
zone	O
and	O
area	O
are	O
terms	O
used	O
to	O
refer	O
to	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
parts	O
of	O
the	O
shared	O
virtual	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
environments	O
of	O
MUDs	B-Application
and	O
MMOs	O
may	O
be	O
seamlessly	O
sewn	O
together	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
case	O
it	O
may	O
be	O
difficult	O
or	O
impossible	O
for	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
know	O
the	O
precise	O
boundaries	O
of	O
a	O
particular	O
area	O
,	O
or	O
they	O
may	O
be	O
connected	O
by	O
connector	O
zones	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
classic	O
sight-line	O
blocking	O
z-shaped	O
corridor	O
)	O
or	O
portals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
MUDs	B-Application
are	O
hybrids	O
,	O
containing	O
sections	O
which	O
are	O
seamlessly	O
stitched	O
together	O
alongside	O
other	O
areas	O
which	O
are	O
only	O
accessible	O
via	O
portals	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
MUDs	B-Application
,	O
and	O
other	O
games	O
where	O
characters	O
transiting	O
zones	O
is	O
a	O
trivial	O
server	O
task	O
,	O
connector	O
zones	O
frequently	O
areas	O
in	O
their	O
own	O
right	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Zones	O
are	O
useful	O
for	O
game	O
developers	O
,	O
because	O
they	O
enable	O
the	O
developer	O
to	O
create	O
and	O
modify	O
the	O
game	O
in	O
parts	O
,	O
and	O
online	O
games	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
MUDs	B-Application
can	O
focus	O
their	O
server	O
resources	O
on	O
areas	O
which	O
are	O
populated	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
parts	O
(	O
rooms/areas/groups	O
of	O
areas	O
)	O
of	O
a	O
MUD	B-Application
's	O
environment	O
may	O
even	O
block	O
some	O
or	O
all	O
types	O
of	O
communications	O
(	O
including	O
non-message	O
communication	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
coded	O
social	O
gestures	O
)	O
from	O
entering	O
,	O
leaving	O
or	O
being	O
performed	O
or	O
perceived	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
following	O
table	O
is	O
an	O
example	O
set	O
of	O
communication	O
commands	O
for	O
a	O
MUD	B-Application
demonstrating	O
the	O
area-based	O
restrictions	O
.	O
</s>
