With great joy I have also extracted the Japanese text for the item list in JORG. I can't thank you enough, JBedford!
Bullet points about the item list in the β Version and its many differences with JORG:
● The list contains both Single Player and Multiplayer items. Many items have different names from their JORG counterparts. If the name isn't different, you can almost be certain that at least the description got edited (to greater or lesser extents).
● Mask descriptions on the beta disc actually refer to in-game buffs being granted to the wearer! In the 2006 era, masks most definitely only existed as an aesthetical element. My research so far indicates that the same was true for the actual beta testing period, but I will be more confident once I have saved more translations of beta-related blogs.
Six examples from the list of beta-disc masks:
DG Soldier Mask M: The position of the item within 50 m is displayed on the menu map.
DG Soldier Mask F: The position of the item within 50 m is displayed on the menu map.
SOLDIER Mask (Shinra Zero Helmet) : When stopping, HP automatic recovery.
Gas Mask : It has ability to detect landmines. For FA mode.
Gutlet Facemask: You can operate the fixed turret.
Shield Visor: Cut headshot damage.
Reading these suggested abilities is quite exciting. Imagine how much this would have changed gameplay. Blogger Michui sometimes complained about masks/caps only being there to look nice. In fact, a downside with many masks were that due to their protruding parts a player may not be able to completely hide behind a barrel/box. In these cases, a small mask or no mask at all would be better. Michui also joked about the fact that the mask called "Explosion-proof Protector" in fact provided no protection at all from explosions.
The Gutlet Facemask speaks about it letting you operate a fixed turret. Interestingly, while there are hints of the turret being planned for use in the multiplayer, not a single aspect of the multiplayer appears to have adopted the gun turret.
The following mask names, found on the beta disc, are new to us:
Key Searcher
Queen Ant Helm
Brave Mask
Victory Mask
Justice Mask
● EVERY SINGLE ONE of the one hundred suits are given a full name and a description in the β Version! Each of them are assigned different performance stats and their names are slightly different from what players of the online mode ultimately got.
In the beta phase and 2006 era, the suits were a more simple affair. There were five different suit types:
Soldier Suit
Sniper Suit
Speed Suit
Magic Suit
Armored Suit
Each of these five suits came in four different variations. Allegedly, none of these suit designs had different performance stats. You only changed between Solder Suit #1 and Soldier Suit #2 if you wanted to switch up your look, but without changing your stats.
However as we see in the planning stages revealed on the beta disc, the idea was to have the player choose between a hundred more-or-less unique suits. That would have been quite overwhelming.
● The official localization of online mode items appear to be based on a mix between the text of the β Version and that of JORG.
The most powerful handgun, "Scarlet Custom", had this description in both the beta- and 2006 era:
極悪な破壊力のハンドガンフレーム。撃った後、なぜか「キャハハ」と叫びたくなる。
...
Handgun frame with vast destructive power. After shooting, I want to cry for some reason "Kyahaha".
Yet the official localization was very boring for this gun.
A handgun frame with infamously destructive capabilities.
No reference to Scarlet's laugh is present. Initially I figured this was an intentional omission by the translator, but then I saw the Scarlet Custom's description on the beta disc...
抜群の破壊力を持つハンドガンフレーム。
...
Handgun frame with outstanding destructive power.
Well that explains it! The "Kyahaha" reference simply wasn't there in the passage the translator was given.
The translation above matched the beta disc, but many items have a translation that matches JORG. These coins are an example of that:
Chocobo Coin: Copper coin. Relief imitating chocobo is engraved on the surface.
Shiva Coin: Silver coin. Relief imitating Shiva is carved on the surface.
Bahamut Coin: Gold coin. Relief imitating Bahamut is engraved on the surface.
The item names and descriptions are quite different in the β Version.
300ギル銅貨
広く使われている共通通貨。
500ギル銀貨
広く使われている共通通貨。
1000ギル金貨
広く使われている共通通貨。
...
300 gil Copper Coin: Common currency that is widely used.
500 gil Silver Coin: Common currency that is widely used.
1000 gil Gold Coin: Common currency that is widely used.
In the 2006 era, one Chocobo Coin could be traded for 1000gil. Only the beta testing phase used all three coins: Shiva, Bahamut and Chocobo.
My guess is that during beta, the Chocobo Coin was worth 300gil, the Shiva Coin 500gil and the Bahamut Coin 1000gil.
● The unused materias "Bind Materia", "Blind Materia" and "Grenade Materia" lack descriptions in all retail releases. Not so in the β Version! Over there each of these three materia hold the same description:
暗闇の魔力が込められたマテリア。
...
Materia loaded with magic power of darkness.
● The Cardkey has the longer name "Electromagnetic Cardkey" on the β disc.
● Many items that have placeholder names in retail had actual names and description in β and vice versa.
Among the more interesting example are the scrapped "Adjuster EX" items, only given name and description in the beta disc.
ニアアジャスターEXⅠ
近距離命中に特化する調整器。他の命中は落ちる
ニアアジャスターEXⅡ
近距離命中に特化する調整器。他の命中は落ちる
...
S Adjuster EX I: Regulator specialized for short distance hit. Other hits will fall
S Adjuster EX II: Regulator specialized for short distance hit. Other hits will fall
Presumably the "Other hits will fall" means that every range not included in the accessory (in the above example, Medium and Long) will never hit. This gives me a trait to test for whenever I try these items in the retail releases. In those discs, these items are called SA28 - SA33, with no descriptions.
● This unused accessory, only found with this name in the beta disc, is quite curious.
マテリアチャージⅠ
マテリアの充填時間を短縮する
...
Materia Charge I
Reduce filling time of materia
I wonder if this was meant to restore your MP, or if the "filling time" refers to a cooling-time that was planned for materia spells.
