I spent some time compiling everything I had tried, thought, or read about O77 in the hope that something would click for me. It didn't. But I thought I'd post this here -- perhaps it will trigger some new directions for someone else. Apologies to anyone whose previous posts I've included without direct acknowledgment; I didn't know I'd be re-posting things this way, and I don't have time to go back and figure out which ideas i got from whom.
Reply from the developers to requests for help with this level during the first 1-2 weeks after new levels were released:
“I don't think that the failure to solve question 77 is a glitch. At least I can tell you that I haven't found any players so far that have given me anything resembling where we are going with this question. I would say that a few of these latest levels are really hard. I tried to dig deep to find some challenges for the people that have made it to the end. I hope i didn't go too far. I hesitate to give hints on a question that perhaps nobody has solved yet, but i will tell you this. They are turtles, but they don't necessarily need to be. I know that's so cryptic, but I really want to see if somebody can crack our code. I hope that's not too frustrating.”
Thoughts on O77:
ACT:
law/statute/decree, performer(s)/performance, college entrance exam, Waco TX airport code, segment of a play, Australian Capital Territory
NYC:
New York City, New York area airport code
Turtles:
Red Eared Slider, Trachemys scripta elegans
(original image here:
stock.xchng - Red Ear Slider (stock photo by runrunrun) )
Turtle-Related:
shell, carapace, scute, reptile, invasive species, pond turtle
Grey Thing Turtles Are On:
Shield, badge, tray, plaque, home plate, highway sign
Marked Scutes:
411 = number of half-scutes marked on each turtle
Directions -- Southwest/Northeast?
Four square (kid’s game)
Foursquare (app)
143 136 129 (or their sum 408) = Spectrum ZX graphics codes
15 2 4 = binary reading left to right top to bottom = SI STX EOT in ASCII control characters
431 in clock-type cipher
Connecting more than one clue:
Waco and New York both have suspension bridges by John A Roebling
Turtle Bay is a NYC neighborhood
1524 is the year Verrazano sailed into New York Harbor
Shield = another word for scute
The coat of arms for Seirijai, Lithuania has three turtles on a yellow shield
Number of letters in ACT + NYC = number of darkened half-scutes
