If you’ve been waiting to play CivWorld, the game enters public beta today. Firaxis has been carefully developing and testing the game since 2009, but it’s time for the crowd to come in and kick the tires.

Modeled after the classic Civilization series, CivWorld reworks Civ’s standard elements for Facebook. Players must work together within a nation to reach new eras before rival nations. The game’s strongest feature is the mix of instantaneous collaboration and competition with Facebook players who aren’t just from your friend network.

Our thorough preview of the game breaks down CivWorld’s many details. You can jump in quickly, but it’s going to take time to master. A variety of choices and winning conditions pave the way for a level of strategy that is still rare in Facebook. Not only must the player learn the best way to gain an edge against a rival team, she must convince the players in her own civilization to work toward the same goals. Social savvy will be a benefit.

CivWorld games don’t go on into infinity as they have a solid beginning and an end. Each game has a winning player and nation. Achievements within games are collected over time and some result in decorations for a personal throne room that stays with you throughout your CivWorld life.

Some press on the game has been lukewarm, but in testing, we’ve seen some extremely heated games break out that don’t compare to other Facebook experiences. Once you’re in the thick of the game against other nations, there is a sense of competition that can easily takeover. This is especially true when you are collaborating and competing against people you know in real life as well. CivWorld is perfectly set up for office wars, assuming your company is OK with Facebook and employees being highly distracted.

Now that CivWorld is live, we’ll see how the game stands up to a much larger player base and report back on developments over time. If you’re still looking for a quick preview before you get your feet wet, Firaxis initial gameplay video should give you a good idea of what to expect.