No different, just that if you want the non-local links to work, you have
to be connected. A space with only local links will work just as well as
any other. Faster, even.
Actually, from an aesthetic standpoint there is potentially a great
difference between CD-ROM distribution and Internet distribution.
CD-ROM implies a tremedous centralization of resources, a major site
for authorial control. Whereas the distribution of a VR world across
many Internet nodes, implies the interaction of many authors with
conflicting interests.
For instance, how do you provide a common set of recognized "meanings"
to a distributed Internet audience? It's relatively easy to
standardize 3d graphical display, but how do you standardize
behavioral interaction? In the broadest political sense, you simply
can't.
Cheers,
Brandon