Guild Wars 2

I see two plausible solutions that can work independently or together:

1)Make a “soft” population cap that allows for a near equal pop size for all three servers. I emphasize soft since I think a 10-20% difference is tolerable. This pop cap is the TOTAL for all 4 maps so it still allows server strategies to intentionally imbalance some maps and sacrifice presence in others. Once all servers are within 10-20% of each others pop, then at the next score tick, allow for another batch of folks enter WvW by raising pop cap. If there comes a time when a server loses pop because players are going to bed, then at the next score tick, you prevent new players from the other two servers to enter WvW until the pop re-equalizes. I just suggest the score tick and 10-20% as a time interval and pop difference but clearly these can be adjusted for optimal effect.
I also think, regardless of how you fix it, and to prevent baseless complaints, show the TOTAL pop of WvW players for each server as the sum of all maps but not in each map.

2)Outmanned buff is FALSE advertising at the moment. Base the buff on point accumulation which would also be based on population disparity AND time of imbalance. Something like this: if a server has twice the population of the other two servers then the point rate it can build is halved. Additionally, to prevent demoralization of any server do NOT have the total score for the match at real time. Either completely hide it until 1-2 hrs before server reset or have it update every two days or something. Posting the current point tally rate is fine and would help motivate a server who is currently low on that front.

EDIT: I also thought of one more thing for you Anet guys to think about if it isn’t already a part of your system… Make the server matching system more weighted in population peak time equality rather than score.