There are many missions to be taken; the game as a whole has a plot, and the missions the player solves make the plot go on and help the player for his/her abilities (which are for example swimming, condition but also driving bicycles without falling from them and better shooting. Respect is also an important 'ability' players can earn, as they need it to go on in the plot of the game and take more missions), and helps the player to earn money, which can be spent on cars, food (to stop the player from getting hungry), weapons, and a lot of other things. Besides missions, however, the player can also do a number of different challenges, which are not needed for the story but can be used just to help CJ earn some extra money. The game takes place in a fictional state called San Andreas, which has three cities: Los Santos (Los Angeles), San Fierro (San Francisco), and Las Venturas (Las Vegas). Between the cities are also countryside, and the desert of Bone County, based on the real life Nevada desert.