Crisis Monitor

The hardest part about defeating a Giant Monster is finding out that it's appeared. I've always wanted a way to know which ones are active without having to go and check every spawn point in every blasted hazard zone. The same with zone events like Troll Raves and Ghost Ships. Sure you get a message in your chat box when something starts, but if you log in two seconds after that message goes out you'll never hear about it.

So I suggest this: add a "Crisis Monitor" feature that gives you a list of which giant monsters and zone events are currently active. It could be a new option in the contacts tab, or a function of the existing police scanner / newspaper. Hero side has one that only heroes can claim, and which only shows hero-side activity; villains get their own version. A character that switches their alignment could collect both, and each version can continue to be used even if the character switches alignments later. Praetorians could get their own version as well, which any alignment can pick up in Praetoria. There might be an unlock requirement to get this feature, such as already having two different badges related to GMs or zone events.

It doesn't have to be pretty, a text list is fine by me. Just display the system message for each event that's currently active. For example, you open up the monitor and get a contact window that looks like this:

Sounds like it would make a great base item...

...if only they still paid attention to bases.

Good idea! Maybe they could use all those worthless information Kiosks to actually provide information of this nature.

Are there Information Kiosks in Rogue Isles?
Maybe those Patrol Points (little yellow phone thingies)?

Well, it won't update until said Giant monster, or even first starts, or ends, but you can always turn on the hero/villain event channel, and it'll tell you what and where is spawning for GMs/events/etc.

http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Hero_Zone_Event_Message

http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Villain_Zone_Event_Message

I completely agree, the event channels work perfectly... for messages that get sent *while you're logged in*. But that's no help for things that started before you logged in, while you were switching characters, or while you were getting DC'ed.

If the event channels were to give you a list on login of currently active events, the way the Consignment House channel lists your sold items, well then now we're talking. In that case the event channels really would be all you'd need.

Two bits of info I'd add to the suggestion:

1) How long has the GM been active?

2) How many people are currently engaging it?

Based on these two pieces of information, I could decide whether it's worth the time and effort of dashing over there in hopes of getting any reward. I'd rather NOT go to that trouble if the GM's only going to be dead before I even see it.