so all the other things being added to HLO aren't useful to me, and I'm the only one in my group (I'm the GM) who has been willing to pay for HL. I enter and validate all their characters.
For just this functionality, I'm looking at the following scenario:
HLC
Pathfinder: $35 for the game system core book (and I've spent several hundred since buying data packages).
Cost to use core rulebook in HLC:
Year 1: $35
Year 2: $0, $35 total
Year 3: $0, $35 total
Year 4: $0, $35 total
Year 5: $0, $35 total
So after 5 years, I've bought and used the core rulebook in Hero Labs, for $35. Tremendous value.
HLO for Starfinder:
Data package: ($25 at discounted price)
Subscription at $2/month, assuming no increase in price over 5 years:
Year 1: $24, $49 total
Year 2: $24, $73 total
Year 3: $24, $97 total
Year 4: $24, $121 total
Year 5: $24, $145 total
Let's see: $35 = tremendous value, $145 = not worth it. Almost x4 the price over 5 years for no real additional value.
Maybe there is a place for HLO with cut down features (say just character and ship creation and validation, but none of the in-game use stuff) for a much lower subscription price. Perhaps free, or $5/year or something like that, or charge a normal (traditional) price for the data packages with no subscription fees if only using the character validation and tracking features.
That value proposition makes HLO worthwhile for me and I'm sure some set of Wolf Lair's customers. Otherwise, I'll just being using paper and pencil. Fortunately, Starfinder seems much simpler than Pathfinder, especially so many years in with so much additional content.