Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas/Gameplay

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Basics

Playstation 2
The controls are available in the game by pressing the START button and selecting the controls options, but are also available here.

On Foot
Triangle Button:


 * Enter vehicle from
 * Activate mini-game
 * Secondary attack while unarmed
 * Pick up object
 * Skip phone conversation

Circle Button:


 * Attack/fire weapon

X Button:


 * Run (this is done by holding the X button)
 * Sprint (this is done by rapidly tapping the X button)
 * Skip cutscene

Sqaure Button:


 * Jump
 * Climb up walls (they have to be equal to your actual jumping height)
 * Block while fighting

L2 Button:


 * Switch weapons one to the left of the current one

L1 Button:


 * Center camera
 * View vital stats about your character
 * Fire weapon while targeted

R2 Button:


 * Switch weapons one to the right of your current one

R1 Button:


 * Target an individual with the selected weapon

L3 Button: (Push the left analog control inwards)


 * Crouch (move while crouching to sneak)

SELECT button:


 * Cycle through available camera modes

START button:


 * Pause menu
 * Skip cutscene

R3 button: (Push the right analog control inwards)


 * Look behind your character

Up Button: (Directional pad)


 * Gang sign to recruit gang members

Left Button: (Directional pad)


 * Answer no when prompted for yes/no

Right Button: (Directional pad)


 * Answer yes when prompted for yes/no

Down Button: (Directional pad)


 * Gang sign to tell gang members to wait (briefly press button)
 * Gang sign to tell gang members to leave you (hold down button)

In Vehicle
TODO

X-Box
TODO

PC
TODO

Armor
This is a measure of the amount of protection currently being offered by whatever body armor CJ happens to be wearing (if any).

Oxygen
This is a measure of how much longer CJ can hold his breath for when swimming underwater.

Health
This is a measure of CJ's health. When this is depleted, you are 'Wasted'.

Certain events in the game increase the maximum value of this stat, such as: exercising outside of the gym and by not being wasted or busted for lengthy periods of time. Maximum health will decrease if you die frequently.

Fat
This is a measure of the amount of body fat that CJ currently has. There are no major penalties for having no fat, but having a large amount of fat can prevent you from doing certain activities, and triggering certain missions.

To increase fat, eat any meal from a fast-food establishment (Cluckin' Bell, Burger Shot, Well Stacked Pizza), except for the salad meals. You also gain fat by going on a date in a bar or restaurant.

Your fat level will automatically decrease over time. To speed up the process, try sprinting, swimming, cycling, or using the exercise bike or treadmill at a gym.

I'm fairly certain you don't get fat from eating from vending machines, but not so sure about street vendors.

See also: Eating @ The GTA Place

Stamina
This is a measure of CJ's ability to perform sustained amounts of physical activity. As this increases, it allows you to sprint longer, pump the pedals for longer on your bicycle, and swim swiftly for longer periods of time.

To increase stamina, try sprinting, swimming, cycling, or using the exercise bike or treadmill at a gym.

Stamina never decreases.

Total Respect
TODO

Lung Capacity
Allows you to stay longer underwater. This is built up by diving underwater and swimming as much as you can before coming up for air.

Sex Appeal
Sex appeal is decided on what type of car you have, which would include fast and flashy cars, the clothes you have, and the amount of muscle. Note, however, that high muscle will prevent some girls from dating you at all.

Muscle
Increases sex appeal and makes melee attacks more powerful. Build up by doing vigorous physical activites rather then driving or by lifting weights in the gym.

Driving Skill
This increases as you drive any sort of land vehicle except for bicycles and motorcycles, and allows for better handling.

Flying Skill
This skill allows for better handling in all aircraft. Later in the game, you will earn your Pilot's License at Flight School upon achieving 20% proficiency in this skill. The License allows for access into any and all airports.

Bike Skill
This should not be confused with the cycling skill, which is the use of actual bicycles. This skill governs motorcycles and at higher levels, allows less of a chance of falling off. It is increased by riding any motorcyle.

Cycling Skill
This skill reflects your ability on a bicycle. The higher this skill, the higher you may bunnyhop (hold in L1 and release while on bike), quickly pump the pedals on a bike (rapidly tap the X button), and the better you can reverse at faster speeds without falling off. This skill is upgraded by riding any bicycle.

Armor
See above.

Pilot Ranking
TODO

Times Drowned
TODO

Number of Hospital Visits
TODO

Number of Prostitutes Visited
TODO

Number of Meals Eaten
TODO

Luck
TODO

Money
TODO

Weapons
The different weapons skills allow for farther and better targeting with that particular gun, and the ability to run with it and shoot (acheived at Gangster level at 20%). When you reach maximum proficiency (Hitman level) with some smaller weapons, you are granted the ability to wield one of that weapon in each hand.

Clothing, Tattoos, etc.
see the Appearance Guide

Respect

 * Running Respect (General respect): 40%
 * Mission advancement: 36%
 * Territories owned: 6%
 * Amount of money: 6%
 * Muscle (physical fitness): 4%
 * Progress with girlfriend: 4%
 * Clothes: 4%

Running Respect
Running respect is everything you do in general, which is amounted as thus:


 * Killing a drug dealer: +.005%
 * Killing a rival gang member: +.5%
 * Killing one of your gang members: –.0005%
 * One of your gang members dies: –2%
 * Territory won: +30% (a major part of the Los Santos section of the game)
 * Territory lost: –3%

See The GTA Place Respect Guide for more.

Weapons
Melee:
 * Fists - You start with them.
 * Brass Knuckles - For an extra hurt in your punches.
 * Pool Stick - You get one when you play pool.
 * Nightstick - A police baton.
 * Shovel - Find one in Ryder's yard.
 * Baseball Bat - GTA classic.
 * Golf Club - You get one when you enter a caddy.
 * Knife - Capable of stealth attacks, many pedestrains carry these.
 * Katana - Japanese Samuri sword, find one in Chinatown
 * Chainsaw - Since there are no destructible trees in this game, CJ can use it on people instead; find one in the countryside or in the land fill.
 * [Skateboard] - a lost item that can be restored in the PC version; see the [Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: Mods#The Skateboard|Skateboard mods] page for more.

Pistols:
 * 9mm - Your standard pistol, can be duel-wield
 * Silenced 9mm - Ideal for stealth attacks.
 * Desert Eagle - Extremely powerful pistol, good range.

Shotguns:
 * Sawn-off Shotgun - Powerful close up, can be duel-weld.
 * Shotgun - Standard shotgun
 * Combat Shotgun - Very powerful automatic shotgun, can fire many rounds before reloading.

SMGs:
 * Tec9 - Standard SMG, can be duel-wield.
 * Micro-SMG - Fires faster than the Tec9, can be duel-wield.
 * MP5 - The most powerful SMG, borders on assault rifle power but has a short range.

Assault Rifles:
 * AK-47 - Rifle of choice for street gangs, Can fire 30 rounds before reloading.
 * M4 Carbine - Rifle of choice for soldiers, Can fire 50 rounds before reloading.

Rifles:
 * Country Rifle - Rifle of choice for farmers, Lacks scope.
 * Sniper Rifle - Powerful, long-range rifle, good for taking out targets at a distance.

Projectiles:
 * Tear Gas - Clears a crowd quickly, but doesn't damage cars.
 * Molotov cocktails - Explodes in a blaze of fire.
 * Grenades - Standard explosive, can bounce off walls.
 * Remote Explosives - does not explode on contact, rather, it attaches itself to an object, and can be remotely denotated.

Heavy Weapons:
 * Flamethrower - Sets bushes and people alike ablaze.
 * Minigun - Takes time to wind up, uses ammo at a ridicious rate.
 * Rocket Launcher - A standard rocket launcher.
 * Heat-Seeking RPG - A rocket launcher that can track targets.

Gift Items These are meant to be given to CJ's girlfriend as a gift, but since they are equipped in the weapon slot he can also beat people up with them.
 * Dildo 1 - Found in the police station shower.
 * Dildo 2 - A purple double-ended model
 * Vibrator 1 - not available ingame without cheats; functions same as Dildo 1
 * Vibrator 2 - not available ingame without cheats; functions same as Dildo 2
 * Flowers - a bunch of flowers, often found in flower beds