The xrealm solution

[Hargrim]

Hard to argue numbers

If it only would be that easy...

[Darosh]

Spoiler:

Everyone doesn't log though. The thing you're missing is that you're only going to log if you have a reason to. If you're in the middle of winning a zone, the place you live on better be literally in flames before you give up on a zone.

If you're already losing, finding another distraction to waste your time with is almost preferable to waiting it out, moreso considering you get offline bags delivered to your mail if you contribution+roll are good enough. Some people fight it out to the bitter end, no matter what. They're the ones that make RvR worth doing at all, imo. They're usually tough as nails bittervets running the deadly premade groups that can handle 6v24 anyway.

Maybe we misunderstand eachother..
For me,. if you simply log off is not the here discussed issue or? .. X-realming "Oh my side isnt winning atm, well then I log my otherside toon and get the free renown!"

For some xrealming starts with having charakters on both sides... is there somewhere an official definition?

Right, so why do you think your version of it actually happens to any significant degree? I've demonstrated the observations I've made in the past with a specific case from the past couple of days.

Or were you asking me to provide data to prove your theory correct? It's not there bud.

From what I can tell, Dwar has a point. The observation of totals isn't going to help you determine the effect of xrealming.
You'd have to check for activity on an account-basis, i.e. how often does an individual account perform logouts/logins.
(E.g.: If the same account performs multiple logouts during a given timeframe, and if subsequent logins coincide with fluctations [= no logouts/logins occuring on the other side, to rule out crashs and alike] at that very moment, chances are you are looking at actual xrealming.)

The totals may behave as you observed due to x% of side A logging to side B while x% of side B just so happens to log off in that very time. Given timezones and all that ~ "players only log with a good reason" is not really the most careful/considerate of assumptions.

Add.:
In other words, it might just be that even in spite of "moral damage" the populations would eventually even out as the evening progresses, if it weren't for xrealming; the xrealming portion accounts for either sides "natural" logoffs and might make it look like basic psychology is at work, where more or less more sophisticated phenomena are taking place. Yada yada.